Hadley was in kindergarten and complained of leg and foot pain, and then started limping. We took her to the pediatrician and it was dismissed as growing pains. After a second visit, an x-ray and blood work both came back as normal, though she had a few markers of inflammation, and her doctor referred us to see a rheumatologist… with a 3 month wait until our appointment. One day Hadley’s school called to say she fell at lunch time and couldn’t walk. We took her to the emergency room and found out she had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She was otherwise a healthy kid, so being diagnosed with cancer came as a huge shock.
Hadley has handled the physical side of treatment very well, but the mental side is a different story and there have been many emotional challenges.
Going through cancer during a pandemic has made an already difficult situation absolutely horrific at times. Hospital policies like only one parent being allowed and no sibling visits were so damaging to our family.
Childhood cancer is a whole family diagnosis. We’ve struggled with the side effects of steroid rage, intense food cravings, complete loss of control at the hospital and clinic, severe anxiety, painful and scary experiences, and dealing with the trauma related to treatment. Children need to feel safe to thrive and enjoy their childhoods. Cancer robs them of that, and as a parent there is nothing worse than having to repeatedly bring your child back to the place of their trauma.
Hadley’s nearing the end of her 2.5 year long treatment, and will soon ring the bell. Then she’ll take her last chemo pill, but it won’t be over then. She’ll return to the clinic for more blood draws over the next 5 years to check for late effects of treatment and signs of relapse, meaning this fear will weigh on our shoulders until she’s 13 years old.
Hope session by Lisa Schader Photography | Facebook | Instagram