Nik is an amazing young man, he faces fear head on and never backs down from a challenge. Nik is a great big brother, always looking out for his siblings, and always willing to help anyone who needs it. He reaches out to the younger cancer kiddos and tries to make them smile and reassure them. He loves Harry Potter and NASA and space. He is great at computer programs and loves to code. He is not shy and loves speaking in public and sharing his testimony. He love bringing awareness to the Childhood Cancer community.
My son was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Tcell on 11/11/16. He was 10 years old and in his 5th grade year of elementary school. He spent the first few months of his diagnosis in the hospital in immense pain with infections and nasty side effects from the chemo. His body seized up twice and at one point he had 4 different infections. His first year was an intense fight. It took 12 months rather than the standard 6-9 to get him to maintenance, he had to have many breaks from chemo to let his body heal and recover, but he fought his way through it all with a brave heart and a smile on his face.
Nik has had 2 surgeries, more bone marrow biopsies than I can count, he gets poked with a needle every two weeks to have labs drawn, he is on chemo every day and higher doses every Friday, he has to have a lumbar puncture once a month to administer chemo into his spine. He’s on many different medications including antidepressants and antibiotics. Now that he is on maintenance he has more energy and is able to go out more, he has less doctor appointments, and is more active. We all have PTSD from the journey but we lean on each other for strength.
We have all changed our lives around because of Nik’s diagnosis, however we are glad to do it. We believe in the mantra One fight One family. We all stand with him and fight with him. This past year I homeschooled all of our children so that no one was left out or alone. My kids stick together and love their brother with all of their hearts. We are stronger together.
Hope session by Susy Martinez Photography | Facebook | Instagram