Riley was given the nickname “Smiley Riley” at daycare when he was going because he is ALWAYS smiling. He loves being silly and exploring. He learned how to walk in the hospital and has been non-stop ever since.
Riley was diagnosed on 11/23/20 with ALL, just 1 week before his first birthday. Riley had a knot on the back of his head that kept growing. We thought it was from him hitting his head about 8 weeks before diagnoses, but ended up being a cluster of cancer cells that populated there. He had no other symptoms.
Riley has had a Hickman line port put in his chest, he’s also had numerous spinal taps and bone marrow aspirations. We spent 31 days in the hospital at the beginning of his diagnosis for treatment and he currently goes to the clinic twice a week and also received medications at home. I have been on leave from my job for a little over a month and just went back. I work from home, but it’s still a lot of adjustment.
We do not have any family in NC currently. Since Riley’s diagnosis, all of his grandparents have been actively working to move closer to us so they can help out more. Riley can no longer go to daycare which he LOVED. So there has and will be lots of change. We are excited to have grandparents closer but hate that this is the reason they uprooting their lives.
I hope he continues to be happy and smiley throughout his entire journey.
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