In Sept 2012, Jake had just turned 7 years old when he started having headaches and vomiting. I took him to the ER convinced that he had a severe flu or gastrointestinal problem. Never in my wildest nightmare would I imagine that my child would be diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. From that day forward our lives were changed forever.
Jake had surgery, chemo and radiation. He had to learn to walk again and use his right arm. He faced many challenges after surgery but pevservered.
A year later in 2013 the cancer came back in his spine. Once again he had surgery and radiation. Since then he has relapsed again two times, the most recent being July 2017. Jake is currently doing chemotherapy treatment for the tumors in his spine.
Despite everything he faces Jake remains a kind caring boy who always thinks about others and loves music and dancing. Jake uses a walker to help him get around. Jake’s disability has taught us the many challenges that special needs children face on a daily basis. We have learned to take one day at a time and cherish every moment.
Ameliah is a ball of energy, all the time! Loves Frozen, Trolls, and Muana. She is very girly-girl. She is super smart and tall for a 2 year old.
Ameliah had started throwing up on 1/4/17 and after a doctor visit. They told us it was a stomach bug. She was sick and lethargic for about 3 days, and on the 4th day, 1/7/17, she woke up and her right eye was cross-eyed. So I took her back to the doctor. They referred me to the OU Children’s here in OKC. Once we got there, they did a CT scan and found her tumor. It was close to the size of a baseball sitting on the left lower portion of her brain, which is why her right eye was cross-eyed (because of the pressure.) Surgery happened a week later with a full resection of the tumor. Thank God.
Her treatment started about a month later. She had 3 rounds of chemo, each lasting 7-10 days. After those 3, she started 3 rounds of stem cell rescue, each lasting 30 days. She was discharged on 9/28/17 and her scan showed no signs of disease. Praise God again. She handled treatment like the strongest person I know. She was always smiling, laughing, just wanted to play, like a normal 2 year old. She won the hearts of all the nurses.
The rest of our life will be an obstacle I think. I will always be on edge that her scans won’t be clear and I’m always making sure (extra sure) that she doesn’t get hurt. Seeing her in so much pain and surgeries, ports, central lines, going under for MRIs, and watching them inject poison (chemo) into her body – they were all the hardest things I’ve ever done.
Cancer turned our world upside down. It actually affected our family tremendously. I’m in the process of divorce. Her father stopped coming around and quit supporting us.
My daughter is my hero. She has shown me that the worst imaginable thing can happen and she never changed who she was. My strong willed, dramatic 2 year old (almost 3) spent her entire life as a 2 year old in the hospital, and she is still the funniest, brightest, sweetest, smartest little girl. If it wasn’t for her not having hair, you would never know she was sick. I have God to thank for my baby still standing here today.
Tyler loves being silly and dancing! He usually laughs at his siblings being goofy or funny tv shows. He loves animals and tractors. He is a country boy!
Tyler was diagnosed at 3 years old with stage 4 brain cancer, Medulloblastoma. He was very lethargic, not acting like a normal 3 year old. He went through a clinical trial of 6 weeks of high dose radiation. He was supposed to do 7 months of high dose chemo but after 5 rounds his body started to shut down. The doctor’s said the cancer was coming back. So they sent him home on hospice.
Now that was 3 years ago. As soon as we were sent home on hospice, we changed his diet to all organic feeding tube formula, along with a lot of other supplements. We didn’t want to give up on him after he had fought so hard. He had to learn how to walk and talk again, but he is doing very well considering he was only given weeks to live. He now has to deal with hypothyroidism because of the treatment he went through. He occasionally has low sodium seizures that we have to try and minimize by giving him extra salt daily.
After all Tyler has been through it has made us all look at life a lot differently. I think it made us all closer than before. I can only speak for myself as his mom, but it has made me treasure every minute that we have together. Never take for granted your healthy children! Never give up, even when the doctors say there is no hope! This whole experience has taught me a lot about what really matters in this life and I have learned a lot about naturally treating cancer. That has sparked my passion and my mission to share and help others find hope!
Nova has so much personality. She’s very prissy. A sassy little thing! She is everything i dreamed for. Nova loves to be held and I admit she’s spoiled rotten. She loves to listen to music and she loves when mommy sings to her.
Nova was diagnosed with cancer on Sept 9, 2017 at only 11 days old. Nova did not have any symptoms of cancer. During her follow up check up at the doctor on Sept 4, 2017, Nova’s doctor noticed her head was oddly shaped. From there we came to Mobile and she was immediately to the children’s hospital. She has a malignant and rare brain tumor called Teratoma. Teratoma is a type of tumor that forms from the body’s tissues like muscle or bone. In malignant cases, radiation and chemotherapy are needed.
Nova had her first surgery on Sept 9, 2017 to remove the front half of this massive tumor. During the operation Nova’s heart failed and the doctors then did everything they could to bring her back. From then on we didn’t know if Nova would even make it through the night. Being the strong and smart little girl that she is, she got through it. The doctors then decided to try chemo. Nova’s brain tumor is so rare that only 2 kids have been diagnosed with this brain tumor. Nova started chemo and only did 2 rounds until the doctors noticed from a ct scan that the tumor was not responding. Nova is now in comfort care. There is no other treating to help my sweet girl.
I have been by Nova’s side since she’s been admitted and it has been a little rough because I also have a 6 year old son. He loves his sister so much and really enjoys every minute he gets to spend with her. This has really been a life changing experience with my whole family, but they have been here for me every step of the way. I never thought in a million years that my daughter would be diagnosed with cancer at only a week and a half old . It has made me learn to just value life and never take anything for granted. I would do anything to just make my daughter feel better. I strongly believe in miracles. My daughter is still with us today and i feel in my heart that she has a lifetime to go. God has been so good to Nova. We thank him for everything. Nova is definitely a fighter. She’s a miracle!
Corinne is an amazing kid who is extremely loved. She loves Daddy, bubbles, balloons, swing, cats, fish, and books.
Shortly before Corinne’s first birthday, she was having balance issues, vomiting, not hitting milestones, and not taking to solid food. It was soon after that we discovered she had a brain tumor. We went right on a treatment plan that consisted of chemo, radiation cycles (5 different times), many surgeries, many scans under anesthesia, 3 stem cell transplant cycles with high dose chemo, and 3 experimental drug “trials.”
Her cancer diagnosis caused global delays. She needs support to sit. Corinne is not ambulatory and she knows a few words and about 25 signs. She is g-tube dependent. It’s a full time job to keep up with Corinne’s medical and therapeutic schedule. I quit my job in order to do so. We worry a lot.
Unfortunately her doctor doesn’t think she has long as her tumors have metastasized.
