Bentlee is seriously the most artistic, crafty little boy I’ve ever met. He can build anything and everything out of play doh.He builds stuff out of scraps and is right on point with them. And he can look at something once and draw it. He has a heart of gold. He loves his little brother more than we ever thought imaginable.
He all the sudden started having random fevers. He had no other signs or symptoms of a “cold”. I’m a stay at home mother so I knew something wasn’t right. I’m with him 24/7, so we went in for lab work. That came back good so they tested him for tick, fever and multiple other things. Everything came back negative. We did this for about three weeks until his white blood cells actually started looking abnormal. When that happened, they sent us to Little Rock to the children’s hospital and we were diagnosed there. I literally knew it was cancer in my gut on the way to children’s. I hated myself so bad for thinking it but I just knew that’s what it was.
He’s in maintenance now so it’s gotten a little “easier” but there are still things he can’t do, wether it’s because of not knowing if his counts are low or medications getting him down. He can’t even jump on his trampoline due to low platelets. His meds sometimes get him down and in a frump. So even on good days when he physically feels good he’s an emotional wreck.
Bentlee and his 6 month old baby brother have to be gone away from daddy a lot due to treatment. I also don’t want him sick since it can cause so much havoc. I am always asking if anyone around us is sick, has been sick, or has been around anyone sick. I take no chances and I realize he has to live his life to the fullest as much as he possibly can but not when it might mean putting him at risk. I am also constantly trying to make people aware of not only his diagnosis but childhood cancer in general. Nobody knew what the orange or gold ribbon meant in our small town! I’m trying my best to change that.
Hope session by Terra Fondriest Photography | Facebook | Instagram