Ollie is a shy kid, but once you get to know him he is very silly! He freely loves everyone and is one of the most loving people I know. His teachers always say how kind he is to everyone in his class and that makes my heart so happy to hear.
He was diagnosed with ALL in February of 2017. Ollie was just very tired and pale. We thought maybe he was having a growth spurt or just a virus.
He has had 28 spinal taps, 4 central line placements, anaphylactic reactions to chemo, numerous blood and platelet transfusions, and too many chemo infusions to count. We face many financial difficulties due to his cancer diagnosis.
I was pregnant with our 3rd child when Ollie was diagnosed. Having his baby brother born during such a difficult time brought so much light into everyone’s lives. Cancer has made us more thankful for every day we have together. We realize that many families aren’t as lucky as we are.
Ollie finished treatment on 6/14 and is currently thriving and we are so thankful!
Dominic loves his two older brothers and thinks he his older than 3 years old. He wants to do everything his brothers can do. He enjoys being outside, riding his scooter, or bike.
He was diagnosed with ALL in Feb of 2019. His symptoms appeared rather quickly. He started vomiting on a Saturday, by Monday he had declined rapidly and this resulted in an ER visits for stabilization. Then he was transported by air to the children’s hospital.
Dominic has been through lots of medical treatments, including dialysis for kidney failure (no longer indicated), chemotherapy via infusion, and chemotherapy via spine injection.
We struggle with finding a balance between hospital visits and Dominic’s treatments and dividing quality time among the two older siblings, spouse, and family. This was a big struggle for the first 11 months of treatment.
Andrew loves superheroes! He calls his port his “Arc Reactor” like Iron Man! He is super fun and funny kid who likes to tell jokes and stories! Every day, he is someone new from an astronaut to Spiderman, baby Yoda, to a scientist! He has a great imagination!
In the spring of this year, Andrew was squinting his eyes and was a little sluggish. We were quarantined due to COVID restrictions and we thought he needed an eye exam. Then one day, his cheeks were so puffy from his lymph nodes being swollen and we took him in for testing. Our pediatrician called us immediately and told us to leave for Akron Children’s ASAP.
He has undergone several types of chemo and steroids so far. My husband and I are able to work at home but our anxiety is certainly heightened during this stressful time. We miss seeing our family and friends but we know that we have to keep Andrew safe and we have to keep healthy to take care of him.
He can’t be around a lot of people so we are very isolated when not at the hospital for treatment. Other than that, he plays, swims, runs around the house, and acts like a normal kid! We are thankful for that!
We are just trying the best we can to bring joy into his life as much as possible. There is so much we can’t control with his treatment but the things we can control, we try to do our best!
Ariyana is such a smart, kind hearted, and fun girl. She loves school. She likes playing with her toys, reading, watching Disney shows, and playing her games online. She is always will to share and play with her little brother. She loves to swim, bike ride and horse back riding.
In the fall of 2019, she was complaining of headaches, weakness in left leg and arm which turned into pain. It was soon after we learned she had Leukemia. She has been through two surgeries, a few bone marrow biopsies, countless lumbar punctures, a few hospital admissions, so many rounds of chemo, and struggles with eating due to nausea and vomiting.
Our family struggles mentally by watching our child not feel well while we are helpless to her. On top of all the added stress and worries, we are just trying to make sure she’s ok.
Ariyana is so brave, much braver than I could ever be. She always has a smile on her face and doesn’t let cancer get the best of her. She is a fighter and won’t stop until she’s beaten it!
Catherine is typically such a happy, fun, and pure soul. She is a sweetheart. She finds joy In almost anything. Her baby sister is one of the few things that make her smile right now. Her special interests are the outdoors and video games as well as my little pony!
She was diagnosed on May 19th with Acute Lymplatisic Leukemia. Her symptoms were fatigue (I chalked up to boredom from quarantine), night sweats (I chalked it up to getting warmer outside so her room is warmer), headaches, and excessive bruising in odd places. The headaches and bruising is what caught my attention and made me make an appointment for her.
Cancer is a devastating blow AND we had a baby 3 weeks before her diagnosis in addition to having a 2-year-old as well. Plus my husband was off work for a total of two months between COVID furlough, new baby, and Catherine’s diagnosis.
King is nothing short of amazing. He is an old soul and full of life, love, and laughter. He is the reason we continue to push through each day. He inspires us and countless others.
On Monday, June 6th, 2016 at two years old, King was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the high-risk category. His treatment plan is three and a half years of DAILY chemotherapy. He receives oral chemo daily, intravenously chemo and chemo in his spine. King also has an enzyme deficiency called G6PD that complicates his treatment. It is a rare and deadly combination to have both G6PD and leukemia. G6PD is lifelong there is no cure. Leukemia affects the white blood cells and G6PD affects red blood cells. Avoidance of triggers is critical as once triggered it requires a blood transfusion and can be fatal. Triggers for G6PD are viruses such as the common cold or flu, soy, beans, medications or foods with sulfites, products with menthol (halls, Vicks vaporub), peppermints, and mothballs.
At this point King takes 70+ pills monthly and it will continue to increase as his weight increases. King has many side effects but the two severe ones are brain swelling and nerve damage. He lost the ability to walk for months but thankfully we were able to rehabilitate him and today you would never know. Drake’s song Hotline Bling and Calvin Harris’s song featuring Rihanna, This Is What You Came For are the only two songs that got King out of bed after the first few weeks of treatment. Due to the nerve damage; candy, food nor toys could get him out of bed. King wants to meet them in person one day to thank them for positively impacting his life.
King is truly a walking miracle. He goes through things that many adults are not able to tolerate. He’s had more spinal taps in the past three years than an average adult will have in their lifetime. We are infinitely grateful for each and every day King wakes up to spend another day with us. He’s a warrior with the heart of a lion. We know he will be the change we wish to see in the world. Hence his hashtag and pose; #KingStrong.
King has been on various television stations such as Eyewitness news channel 7, PIX11, and News12LI. On Tuesday, October 2nd King was sworn in at One Police Plaza as an NYPD police officer and thirty seconds later promoted to a three-star chief – Chief King! King has many future goals one of which is to be the first global leukemia model. He also wants to be a chef and a doctor. King has walked in New York Fashion Week (NYFW), Jersey City Fashion Week (JCFW), and Bloomingdales this year.
King loves to help others, especially his three-year-old brother Mesiah and eleven-month-old baby sister Faith. King recently told us that he wants to build homes for homeless people and then build one for himself. We have extensive water damage in our basement that is rather costly right now and it prevents him and his brother from having an area to learn and play. I work full time and my husband (who has a bachelor’s degree in Nursing) stays home with him and his siblings full time as it is too expensive both monetarily and physically. Although surviving on one income has caused a financial strain on the family and an increase in King’s medical collection debt, King’s health has significantly improved since my husband made the decision to be his primary caretaker.
Despite all that King has been through and continues to go through, he is always smiling and inspires us and countless others on a daily basis. King is an AMAZING big brother who wishes is to go on vacation to Destin Beach, Florida. He loves the beach! We believe everything happens for a reason and it is all about perspective so we remain positive and find the good in everything. We truly appreciate the various means of support whether it is prayers, visits, positive messages, or donations. It reinforces that we are not alone on this difficult journey and encourages all of us to keep fighting.
When a child is diagnosed with cancer it affects the entire family. Many survivors deal with chronic medical issues once the treatment is completed. Treatment should not cause secondary cancer. Yet, pediatric cancer is heavily underfunded. We are childhood cancer advocates and believe research funding is important as it can lead to less toxic treatment and cures. Most patients die from the complications associated with cancer and its treatment. We are on a mission to spread global awareness about childhood cancer in hopes that one day research is done to declare cancer a thing of the past. All children deserve to grow up!
King does not let anything stop him and neither will we. Cancer does not define us, WE define cancer.
