Caisen was always a very happy little guy, then one night he spiked a small fever and was acting very irritable. I took him to urgent care and I was very concerned because I knew that was not like him. The doctor said it was a virus so I went home. I tried to let it run its course but he wasn’t better so we made an appointment with our primary care doctor. They also said it was a virus. I was wanting bloodwork because I knew something wasn’t right. Caisen was laying around, very pale, was in pain, and very uncomfortable.
Another week went by and we went back to his primary doctor and still saying they said it was just a virus and no bloodwork necessary. I was still worried and upset but I tried to keep him as comfortable as I could. At the end of that week, we went to the ER. There an Xray showed he was backed up, but he usually was and takes Miralax for chronic constipation. We went home with extra Miralax but after two days he was worse. I went back to the hospital and begged them to do bloodwork. They still did Xray first then finally some bloodwork. That is when they found signs of possible cancer. We went to the main hospital at Akron Children’s Hospital. There we found out it was Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
This has definitely has kept us on our toes. I have not been able to work since the diagnosis, but his brother has been wonderful through it all but I know he is affected.
Emilia loves to dance! Every time music starts, you will see her twirling around. She adores her older brother, although they fight like cats and dogs. She loves dolls and loves imaginative play, we are constantly being made cups of tea and coffee and banana bread by her. You will always find her in a pretty dress. She also loves being outside, playing on the street, or watering plants.
Emilia was always sick and we were taking her to the doctor constantly, only to be told it was just a virus. A few weeks before her diagnosis, we noticed one of her eyes was quite dark, almost like she had a black eye. Again, took her to the doctor to again be told it was just a virus. We decided to get a second opinion and was referred to the Children’s Hospital, where they ran tests and that was when we found out she had cancer. Life has not been the same since.
We spent 80 nights in hospital last year. She has endured numerous different types of chemo and countless doses of chemo. She had a line inserted into her chest for chemo administration, has had numerous scans and Xrays, and has undergone general anesthesia countless amount of times for either bone marrow biopsies or lumbar punctures.
My son has been withdrawn from his preschool due to illnesses (mainly covid) he could bring home and give to her. I have reduced my working hours significantly and now work from home to care for both my kids. We don’t socialize as much due to covid and the fear of her getting it and not knowing how she would cope. Our lives almost feel like it has been put on hold.
Beckham was diagnosed with ALL on December 29th, 2020. He had fever and leg pain leading up to his diagnosis. They said it was probably covid and to quarantine. We did and after 2 weeks his appetite decreased. The fevers were gone but we just knew something wasn’t right. He woke up early morning of the 29th with severe abdominal pain and the fever came back so we took him to ER where they diagnosed him with cancer.
He has had 10 different chemos, 11 lumbar punctures, 2 surgeries, 4 bone marrow biopsies. He has also spent 68 days/nights in the hospital since diagnosis and has multiple appointments weekly. He is entering the maintenance phase.
We are limited on going out and doing family fun activities. My daughter is now having to see a psychiatrist, this has caused lots of anxiety having our family split up due to hospitalizations. Mom has dropped her income significantly.
Beckham is the most amazing brave little boy you will ever meet. He is so happy despite everything and has a heart of gold.
My son Lucas is a very happy child. He loves to dance and help in the kitchen. He always gives us hugs that fill us with so much love. It is indescribable how he gives us so much joy.
In the summer of last year, Lucas had bruises that began to appear on his legs. I took him to the pediatrician and there they did tests. His doctor sent us to the emergency room and it was in the hospital that they gave us the diagnosis that he had cancer. He was diagnosed with leukemia in July of 2021.
He received chemotherapy and we are waiting for him to go into remission so that he can qualify for a bone marrow transplant.
Knowing that our son has cancer gave us a 100-degree turn in our lives. It has really been very hard to adapt to many things that we did not know and enter them into our lives and continue on.
Lucas is my hero! He is a child who is fighting with everything and against everything to be victorious.
Kolby was diagnosed with cancer on May 18, 2021. Kolby just presented with a fever that wouldn’t go away for a few days and blood in his nose. We thought it was a sinus infection. The pediatrician didn’t like his coloring when she saw him and wanted to order a blood test. That test changed everything overnight.
He will not be in school for at least a year, probably longer, as treatment is 27 months. We will need to work from home and balance work with treatments. We also need to isolate them to avoid a fever – Kolby will miss birthday parties, playgroups, crowded events around town, etc to protect his immune system.
However, this diagnosis has also made me more grateful. It is inspiring to see how many people want him to have a long and happy life. I’m in awe of the number of organizations out there that are devoted to making these kids smile. It also makes you grateful for the small things – reading books together, every smile, every time he asks me to play.
Kolby’s such a wonderful kid who will come out of this more understanding and empathetic.
Reid is a silly little man! He loves to make you laugh with jokes and funny faces and will laugh when you do it too. He loves playing with his toy story toys like Mr. Potato Head and Buzz, loves Legos, Nick Jr, and Disney Jr characters. He’s so resilient and loving. We love learning from him every day!
In December of 2018, he was experiencing limping, fever, stomach pain, and emesis. He has been through over 3 years of treatments but we are almost to the finish line. We face a lot of anxiety and depression but Reid keeps us smiling!
We never thought that this would be our life or how childhood cancer would affect us but we have so much support from our family and friends. Reid is amazing and we are so blessed to have such a strong kid!
