David loves soccer and football, he’s a huge Seattle Seahawks fan. He is also an animal lover; he will always snuggle a dog if he sees one. His favorite animal is a cheetah because, as he says, they love mice and run fast. He would always channel his inner cheetah when he played soccer. He’s a very outgoing boy and bright. He would be entering 5th grade right now.
David was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in June of 2022. David was losing a lot of unexplained weight and was pale, he would complain about how tired he was before it all happened, David was an energetic 10-year-old, he would play recreational soccer after school, and would never miss a game. Once he started saying he was too tired to go and would miss games we knew something was not right. He would come home from school and would sleep until the next day and wouldn’t eat.. David was also more prone to sickness before his diagnosis, he had a consistent ear infection for a few months that wouldn’t go away and complained about pain in his feet constantly that would limit his movements.
As a mother, you know when something is wrong with your child. For several months I was in and out of the ER and PCP trying to figure out what was wrong. David didn’t know how to describe what was going on with him but he didn’t feel right. I spoke to several doctors throughout the months and everyone told me it was normal and they were just growing pains, but I knew something else was going on. Finally, in June His Primary care doctor did bloodwork and called me the same day, she said I needed to go to Seattle Children’s Right away, and that he only needed a blood transfusion and it was nothing to worry about. I trusted her and headed to SCH right away. We went into the ER and informed them we were sent over from his primary doctor. After about 9 hours in the ER we found out the devastating news that he didn’t just need a blood transfusion but had Leukemia. The next 24 hours were very hard, David received 2 units of Blood because his counts were so low.
David has undergone several procedures following his diagnosis and is currently undergoing weekly lumbar procedures for this phase of chemotherapy. Our family is currently separated due to the fact that the cancer treatment is in Seattle and we live 3 hours away so we have had to relocate to continue his treatment. My husband has been working back at home while I am with both my son and his little sister in Seattle.
Our family has been greatly impacted since the sudden diagnosis and abrupt stop from work. We were unable to make rent and we were kicked out of our home. The landlord wanted us out as soon as possible. We currently do not have a home and I don’t have a job to help save for a deposit for anything right now either. David is also unable to play sports due to the risk of hurting his port area.
David is currently not in remission but is fighting hard to achieve remission and stay there, so he can go back to playing soccer. One day, he hopes to play for Paris Saint Germain like Messi #30.
Paislee is a spitfire, she is absolutely one of the happiest humans I have ever met. One silly face and she is in tears laughing. Paislee loves baby cows, Coco Melon, and stickers. She spends her days mostly eating and watching tv or playing games on her iPad because she is in the hospital but she loves to be outdoors.
Paislee was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) on 7/17/2022. We were in complete shock. We brought her to the doctor because she was bruising easily with no trauma. Did I ever expect that it was CANCER? No! I never thought cancer would affect my family until it did. Paislee is so strong and brave. She makes cancer look so easy when it’s not. She smiles through all the challenges and battles.
Paislee experienced some symptoms leading up to her diagnosis, She was in pain and it would hurt to get out of bed. She would spike fevers for a day and they would be gone the next. She had frequent infections and was bruising easily. These were all symptoms I discussed with her pediatrician and we scheduled an appointment to be seen. Before that appointment, Paislee had a fall that concerned me when she was bruised with a lump so we took her to the ER for bloodwork.
Paislee has done well with treatment, chemo, and all of the antibiotics, though she does have her ups and downs. We were recently admitted to the hospital because of a bacterial infection which has caused a chemo delay until her wounds heel. The bacterial infection caused the wounds from her port and bone marrow aspiration site to open so we now have vacs on the wounds to aid in healing.
Paislee’s cancer diagnosis has definitely changed our lives, We went into complete fight mode. Aside from that, my husband lost his job. My oldest daughter struggles with missing her family and I have guilt about not being able to be home and together as a family.
William is autistic and can be shy at times. He loves Blippi, his tablet, spinning objects, mirrors, and lights. He also loves helicopters and learning numbers, letters, and shapes. He has fun running and playing chase.
William was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on September 30th 2022. His only symptom was low iron which was found at a routine appointment. We followed up with more bloodwork after his iron levels decreased while on an iron supplement and leukemia was discovered. We’re very lucky it was found as early as it was and that he’s had minimal symptoms.
He has had a port placed and we have begun chemotherapy. William sometimes has very low energy and his immune system is compromised due to treatment.
He is an identical twin and it’s very hard on him and his brother right now. They have spent their first nights apart since birth which was hard on all of us. Since being back home, Stevie (his twin) is having a hard time adjusting to not having an energetic play buddy. It’s a lot of change for them.
Jayden likes to play Roblox and collects Pokemon cards. These days, Jayden uses YouTube to post gaming videos and his own stories. Jayden is so happy when subscribers increase one by one on his channel.
Jayden was first diagnosed with ALL on February 8, 2021, and treatment is scheduled to end next summer. A month before being diagnosed with ALL, Jayden said that he was always tired and had frequent leg pain. His face, hands, and feet became pale, and his chest ached. I, as a mom, thought it was strange, so I made an appointment with the pediatrician, and as a result of the blood test, Jayden was immediately sent to the emergency room.
Jayden has endured multiple bone marrow biopsies, lumbar punctures, platelet and blood transfusions, and IV and intrathecal chemo treatments. He has had complications from chemo and steroid treatments and was hospitalized for low glucose levels. He has been a strong warrior as he continues this long fight.
Jayden was often taken to the emergency room during the intensification period of his treatment. We are all anxious and afraid of the side effects of the chemotherapy and fear that his cancer will come back again. It seems that we will always live our whole lives with worry and anxiety. Jayden also misses a lot of school due to his treatment schedule and has trouble keeping up with his classes.
Rhett’s personality has always been over the moon with excitement even on his bad days he always smiles. His older sister has been the best thing for him in staying so positive and to keep moving, so honestly, I think she might be one of his favorite things. He loves dinosaurs or large animals that go RAWR! He loves climbing, building, and exploring new things. He truly is the sweetest little boy.
Rhett was diagnosed with high risk B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on January 7th 2021. We honestly thought Rhett was experiencing growing pains because he would occasionally complain of his legs hurting. He would then have low grade fevers off and on which we thought was from teething, at that time he wasn’t even 2 1/2 so it definitely would have been normal for that age. We finally decided to take him in once we noticed spots on his abdomen and he just smelled differently to me; much like a diabetic has a smell when their glucose gets too low, but the smell was different.
Rhett has had over a dozen lumbar punctures with chemo into his spine as a preventative treatment. He now takes daily oral chemo and will be on that until May 11, 2023. He’s had about 80 IV chemo sessions, 10 blood transfusions, and 5 platelet transfusions, One of his IV chemo treatments, earlier this year, caused him to go into anaphylactic shock so he’s had to get 36 chemo shots.
Rhett’s limitations are very dependent on what chemo he is getting at that time and if his immune system is high enough to do things like play outside because he is still considered immune-compromised and will be until he finishes all chemo which won’t be until May 11, 2023. Some chemo medicines give him leg aches to the point that he can’t walk, while others definitely mess with his mood or can even cause a rash. The steroids seem to do the most between rage, hunger, pains, etc.
His diagnosis has drastically changed our family life causing separation anxiety between him and his sister, especially when he’s had to stay at the hospital for an extended period of time. It has also caused extra stress on myself and my husband to make sure we get the best care, keep things clean, and not get too exhausted from appointments. Life has been very strenuous this year.
Rhett has been so incredibly strong and amazing through everything. He has his weak moments, but don’t we all? Honestly, though, he’s a million times stronger than I think I ever could be.
Cael is a really happy boy and always has a big smile. He likes when mom takes pictures of him, you just need to tell him to say “ cheese” and he will do it! He also likes music a lot!
Cael was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in September of 2021. He has had surgery for port placement, lumbar punctures, and receives chemotherapy. He has and no irregular side effects from treatment and is living life as normally as possible.
Mom and Cael are at home most of the time due to his diagnosis but we are a strong, resilient family!
