Caleb got a good report today. Labs were GREAT!!! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 I wasn’t concerned, but it’s always a huge relief to “see the numbers”. The day was full of appointments including testing for research to study the long term effects of chemotherapy.
I am so thankful that he is doing SO well! The treatment has been long and difficult at times.
Overall, he has done AMAZING with treatment!
Especially for a kid his age (I think at least so). He was a month shy of his 5th birthday when he was diagnosed. A Friday afternoon at the pediatrician he with knee pain and fever turned into a parent's nightmare. Monday he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Luekemia. Tuesday morning at the crack of dawn we left home and headed West for St. Jude in Memphis leaving our other son behind with my mom having no clue what lied ahead. It all happened so quickly and was extremely hard to process. You just press on.....to the that next appointment
Especially for a kid his age (I think at least so). He was a month shy of his 5th birthday when he was diagnosed. A Friday afternoon at the pediatrician he with knee pain and fever turned into a parent's nightmare. Monday he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Luekemia. Tuesday morning at the crack of dawn we left home and headed West for St. Jude in Memphis leaving our other son behind with my mom having no clue what lied ahead. It all happened so quickly and was extremely hard to process. You just press on.....to the that next appointment
Initially he was in Memphis for 50 days of induction therapy, the most intense phase of treatment. The goal of induction is to achieve remission as fast as possible without killing you.
This was followed by 6 weeks of high dose methotrexate therapy and finally 120 weekly of maintenance therapy. I will never forget how stunned I was when they told me treatment was going to be 2 1/2 to 3 years. He was 4. That was longer than he had been alive I thought to myself. By his 5th birthday rolled around he was on day 38 and settled in at Ronald McDonald House.
Initially he VERY resistant to everything. He had to be restrained for medicine three times a day. He is STRONG. It was really difficult with two people to get meds down him. You really needed three people. One to hold him, one to keep his head still and keep his mouth closed so he wouldn't spit it out, and one to give the medicine. Then there was the port access. After some time though he surrendered his will and was complaint. He learned to take pills, could rock a port access, and hardly EVER complained. He has been a CHAMP throughout and we are so proud of him! Thankful does not even begin to describe how it feels to have this behind us.
Still though, with all of that being said, I am still extremely frustrated with the current treatments available. Side effects can be cruel and last a lifetime. Most children in treatment that die are from the side effects of the treatment and not the disease itself. The science is beginning to discover how to treat cancers with immunotherapy which is wonderful. Change and new treatments need to be studied and take time.....and of course money.

