Chase is very quiet with people outside our family. He loves trucks (garbage, construction, emergency/fire trucks), He also loves Paw Patrol and Bluey. He is a curious kid with many questions about the world. His brothers make him laugh more than anyone else.
Chase was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in May 2022, shortly after he turned 3 1/2 years old. We originally brought him to the doctor for unexplained bruising. We are so grateful that our doctor took our concerns seriously and within hours of our initial phone call, we received a diagnosis. Never in a million years did we envision this for our family but we have felt so supported by the childhood cancer community.
He has been through multiple lumbar punctures and bone marrow biopsies. He has spent 54 nights in the hospital since May 2022 receiving various chemotherapy treatments (twice for unplanned admissions due to fevers). In general, He has been able to keep up with his two brothers and his friends. There are days when he occasionally feels unwell, but we are thankful those have been limited and his team works hard to manage his symptoms.
Chase is the middle of three children under the age of 6, so his diagnosis has impacted everyone. We thought before his diagnosis that we were struggling with giving each child their fair share of attention, but that has become even more true. We have missed out on important milestones (our oldest son’s first day of kindergarten) because we were in the hospital. We have also learned to have more patience and grace with each other and value the time we have as a family more deeply.
We are really proud of Chase for how he has handled this diagnosis. He has done everything we have asked of him (and more!) and it has given us a profound insight into his character and heart.
Hope Session by Charlie Little Photography | Instagram