When his son developed a persistent cough and heavy respiratory, John Will assumed Benny had COVID. After all, it was January of 2022. Spikes of the pandemic virus had been nonetheless rampaging throughout the nation. The last item John thought he’d be dealing with was his kid’s most cancers prognosis.
“Benny was drowsy and torpid. He couldn’t sustain together with his neighborhood pals on his bike,” the Charlottesville father explains. “But he saved testing adverse, so we determined to take him to the pediatrician.”
That led to an irregular chest X-ray and a right away referral to UVA Children’s.
A Child’s Cancer Diagnosis
Benny and his mother and father arrived at UVA Health January 6, a Thursday night. They had a blood most cancers prognosis by Sunday. Benny, then age 11, had T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. The household was in shock.
Their first query to the pediatric blood most cancers specialists and ICU (intensive care unit) staff was: Where ought to we go for therapy?
It seems, they did not should go very far. “They defined to us that take care of the sort of most cancers is one which UVA Children’s treats often. And Benny’s therapy can be the identical right here as it will at any Children’s Oncology Group-affiliated well being system in North America,” John says. “Then an ICU cost nurse reassured us that this was the place to be.”
A 12 months to the date of studying of his kid’s most cancers, John wrote the next reflection. He hopes it helps different mother and father navigate a baby’s most cancers prognosis.
In John’s Words – Father of 12-Year-Old with Lymphoma
“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.” –Winston Churchill
Benny advised me that quote immediately. It appeared apropos contemplating what we’ve been by way of within the final 12 months. He heard that quote in his theology course, and it was actually pretty to see him moved sufficient by that quote to share it with me.
Today is one 12 months to the day since he was identified with T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. He’s been hospitalized twice, anesthetized over a dozen occasions, been accessed for infusions extra occasions than I care to rely, and brought 1000’s (actually) of drugs thus far for his therapy.
And he’s not out of the woods.
We are lucky for him to be in remission. But that doesn’t imply that his course of therapy is finished. He will proceed to obtain upkeep chemotherapy for the subsequent 16 months. Maintenance chemotherapy therapy is a considerable enchancment over the intensive chemotherapy programs that he had final 12 months. But it’s no small factor.
Return to School After a Year of Cancer Treatment
Being in upkeep has afforded Benny to lastly return to high school final week for the primary time since his prognosis. He was so able to reunite together with his pals and to renew his scholastics at a extra rigorous stage. He did very effectively together with his tutoring because of some wonderful lecturers, but it surely was definitely isolating.
Last 12 months was a 12 months of devastating lows sprinkled with just a few silver linings. Among the lows had been the prognosis, clearly, dropping out of his college, preventing off COVID one time for Benny, three (!) occasions in the home, shedding a lot muscle mass that Benny developed contractions in his decrease extremities, and never with the ability to go greater than an hour and a half away from our house.
Among the silver linings had been his remission, the wonderful staff of world-class healthcare suppliers at UVA Children’s, his tutors, the non-profit infrastructure that has been constructed out to help households throughout occasions like these, however most significantly, our social help of family and friends.
A Child’s Cancer Diagnosis Changes Everything
Pediatric Cancer: ‘Burden Too Heavy to Carry Alone’
Pediatric most cancers is a burden too heavy to hold alone, and so we’ve turned to household and pals many occasions over the past 12 months to get by. Because of the help our household obtained, I’ve been capable of maintain my job.
We’ve been capable of get Benny to all of his many, many scientific appointments. We’ve had many meals dropped at us, laundry washed and folded, and our home cleaned too, all to take our minds off of some regular tasks.
Our youngsters had been watched numerous occasions in order that we might attend to Benny’s wants. We’ve had assist shouldering the monetary burden of astronomical healthcare prices.
Finding Gratitude within the Darkest Moments
I’ve chosen just a few phrases that I’m specializing in this 12 months: persistence, proceed, by way of, and alternative. We’ve obtained an extended methods to go, so we have to be affected person. We’re not out of the woods or by way of the valley but, and the one solution to go is thru. Every troublesome factor is a chance.
And so we proceed to battle, however we’re nonetheless not alone.
We’re extremely grateful for all of the help we obtained on this journey. It means greater than anybody can ever know. For any dad or mum who finds themselves on this journey after a baby’s most cancers prognosis, could you at all times discover one thing to be glad about, even in your hardest, darkest moments.