Lauren “Ashtyn” is a very happy go lucky girl. She’s now a senior in college at OU and is determined to not let Cancer hold her back one bit. She is spunky and very driven, and she has a heart for others.
Ashtyn had a golf ball sized knot in her collar bone area that we’d been told several times was just an inflamed lymph node from allergies/sinus issues. Ashtyn became unable to raise her arm and started having pain in her arm/shoulder/neck area, so we went into the doctor again. Ashtyn was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma at age 15 in September of 2012. This was at the beginning of her sophomore year in high school.
Ashtyn has fatigue and stamina issues, and sometime focus issues. Due to the high levels of steroids she was on during treatment, Ashtyn struggles with weight issues. She also had a bone infarct in one of her knees due to the chemotherapy which causes her knee to dislocate at random times, causing her to fall. She struggles to just be a normal college student and doesn’t want to be known as “the cancer girl”.
Ashtyn went through chemotherapy, several surgeries, as well as many hospitalizations due to treatment. Our family faces the daily struggle of the fear of reoccurrence as well as the fear of losing Ashtyn. With Ashtyn being a teen when she was diagnosed, she struggles daily with survivor’s guilt, guilt of surviving while so many others haven’t. She also struggles with self image issues as her body just isn’t the same as others at her age. Ashtyn’s brother also struggles with his place throughout the ordeal and the fear of losing his sister who has always been his best friend.
Ashtyn has founded “The A.S.H. Project” which takes teens and young adults into medical facilities dressed as princesses and super heroes in an effort to bring hope and peace to the children and families going thru dark times. This was a dream of Ashtyn’s while she was going thru chemotherapy, and she’s worked very hard to make her dream become a reality.
Ashtyn’s diagnosis has definitely changed our lives. We’ve learned to value each other and not place our hopes, dreams, and efforts in material things. We’ve definitely learned what matters most and how to make the absolute most out of every single moment.
Baylie has the sweetest personality. She is always smiling and laughing. She is courageous and refuses to let cancer control her. She is a cheerleader at her school and is a great role model. She has an amazing heart of gold.
She had just celebrated turning 16 when she felt short of breath. She had been losing some weight and was very tired. I took her in to the doctor to make sure she was ok. Her lab work came back abnormal, but we were told she had a virus. We repeated the labs 2 weeks later and they had gotten worse. Again, we were told virus. I took her to the children’s hospital because my gut said it wasn’t just a virus. We were told that she probably had lupus and were referred to rheumatology. The rheumatologist decided to get a chest X-ray, which ended up showing a large mass in her chest. Within a week she was having surgery to biopsy one of the lumps.
She underwent her first chemotherapy on Halloween. She had many complications throughout her treatment, including emergency surgery on both legs for a possible septic joint infection.
Throughout this journey, she managed to maintain straight A’s and never stopped smiling. She stayed strong for her brothers because she didn’t want to scare them. Cancer really rocked our family, but it also brought us together more than we already were. We no longer take the little things for granted.
Baylie has been such an inspiration to so many. Her little brother was just diagnosed with a brain tumor and she is really stepping up to help ease his fears. No matter what life throws her way, she keeps a positive attitude.
Tyson has always been such a light in our family and the glue that keeps as all together. He loves his family, enjoys being a big brother and loves everything to do with old cars. One day, while having fun in the car, Tyson all of the sudden stopped breathing and began to turn blue.
Scared we might lose our son, we rushed him to the nearest hospital. Tyson finally came back to but then had a similar incident in front of a team of 8 or so doctors. They decided to intubate him and emergency transport Tyson to Mary Bridge Hospital. After being intubated for about a week and many tests later, we were sent home with few answers. Doctors said Tyson had pneumonia and this was probably related to his breathing issues but would likely not happen again. However while there, they mentioned seeing some sort of shadow in his x-rays and also said he had an enlarged heart but that none of this should affect his breathing, especially once the pnuemonia was gone. We left the hospital with no definitive answers and still very concerned.
Then in September, the second time we would see our son stop breathing and turn blue. Again we went the ER. After finding a “small mass” in his chest x-rays we were once again emergency transported but to Seattle Children’s Hospital this time. That was the day our lives would be forever changed and we lived every parents worst nightmare. Tyson had CANCER,…Lymphoblastic Lymphoma to be exact. The mass was actually quite large and this mass was weighing down on his airway which is what caused Tyson to stop breathing both times!
It turns out that Tyson had been misdiagnosed back in June and likely never had pneumonia at all. The “shadow” that was so unconcerning to doctors before was actually a large tumor our little boy had inside of him.
Treatment began immediately and even though we are still in early stages, this new lifestyle has been extremely difficult to say the least. When it rains it pours. Tyson hates everything about the entire process and cries just about the entire time at any clinic visit or even hospital stays. He is very scared and now getting very sick from the chemo. His hair is gone and by appearance is a very different little guy. He got very chunky after a long month of steroids but now that he is off of them, he has chosen to not eat and feels crummy most days. He is now on a feeding tube daily so his body can still function and fight.
Tyson is such a little fighter and reminds us every day how strong he is and that he just wants to be a little boy. His loving little heart is still the same through it all.
Meaghan, 16, “cannot be defined” and likes it that way because she wants to be open to all the possibilities of life. Meaghan is a dreamer with her feet planted solidly on the ground. Her passions include literature, music, dance, science, swimming, and theatre- and she has added advocacy for the cure and care of pediatric cancers to the list of things she is passionate about.
In January of 2017 Meaghan was busy with her studies at the Stone Ridge School in Bethesda, MD, swimming for her high school team, reading every book that Rick Riordan had ever written, preparing to compete at the Irish Dance National Championships, and being with her friends and family (parents Mark and Maura and brothers Christopher, 23 and Brian, 19) when life took a sharp turn.
Meaghan was swimming for Stone Ridge when she noticed that the lymph nodes in her neck were becoming swollen and hard. After a few doctor’s visits, an X-Ray and CT scan, we received a phone call to pack our bags for an indefinite stay and head to the Pediatric Oncology unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital right away. After a series of tests and a biopsy, Meaghan was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, Stage 2A, Bulky.
From February 2017- June 2017 Meaghan underwent chemotherapy (the Stanford V) and radiation, had a completed response and was declared to be in remission in June of 2017.
Unfortunately, CT and PET scans in October of 2017 revealed that her cancer had returned: Stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma near her left armpit and collarbone.
Meaghan participated in a pediatric trial at Johns Hopkins that included four 21-day rounds of Immunotherapy with highly targeted chemotherapy to get Meaghan back into remission. On February 9, 2018 Meaghan was admitted to Johns Hopkins Pediatric Oncology Unity for High Dose Chemotherapy (HDCT), and an autologous Stem Cell Transplant.
Meaghan and her family are currently living in temporary housing near Johns Hopkins for 100 days to be just minutes away for any planned or unplanned visits to Johns Hopkins. Meaghan will continue with the immunotherapy and targeted chemotherapy until March 2019.
Meaghan is truly incredible. She has faced this diagnosis head on and has used her “cancer card” to raise awareness of childhood cancer and money (165,00.00) that went to LLS. She has missed out on so much this past year but never complains.
Haylee is an old soul with a huge heart. She LOVES children with all that she is and one day will be a teacher 🙂 She is sassy at times and sarcastic like the rest of us, there isn’t anything she wouldn’t do for you. GOD is a huge part of her life and the reason she is so strong through all of this. Haylee is an inspiration to so many people and throughout this journey she proves to us everyday that she is going to fight and win.
In July of 2017, Haylee had a large lump on her neck that went misdiagnosed for several months. We soon discovered she had Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Her treatment plan consists of cycles of chemotherapy. Afterwards is usually weak and tired but otherwise she is doing well.
I think we are still walking around in disbelief but we are all slowly dealing with it the best we can. We are very blessed with a strong faithful group of family and friends. The little things don’t bother us as much because we know more clearly now what really matters.
Haylee is staying strong and is very anxious for it to be behind her, we continue to pray for everyone that is dealing with a cancer diagnoses.
Tori loves to dance. She loves animals, and even has several pets including dogs, cats, and goats. She has developed a dark but wonderful sense of humor and an incredible sense of confidence. After graduation, she plans to attend nursing school and become a care assistant at her treating hospital’s pediatric oncology department.
At age 16 while she was a junior in high school, she started to have chest pain, stomach pain and a low fever. It was then she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Tori had 6 rounds of escalated BEACOPP chemotherapy. Each round took 3 weeks and included an overnight stay and at least 3 additional outpatient visits. Tori missed most of her junior year and had to go on leave from her job. She is back at school as a senior and back to work, but finds it difficult sometimes to keep up.
We struggle more financially now because we have to set aside quite a bit of money for current and future medical expenses. We have definitely been changed through this experience. We are closer, we give each other more grace, and expect less of each other. We appreciate time together more. Tori’s brother was living 700 miles away at college when she was diagnosed. Since he has graduated and moved back home, they are very close and love each other deeply.
Tori is an inspiration to so many people. She has this attitude, I can’t even explain it. She has had to face so much hard stuff since cancer; she has been thrown into early menopause from the chemo, she now has scoliosis, she is likely infertile, and the list goes on. But she chooses not to focus on that and instead enjoys life. She accepts the crap that’s been handed her and makes it look good!
