Cancer: How should we react to the news?
Once upon a time, there was this guy and this girl who fell in love. As most happy endings go, they were married and both were starting new careers. They soon found out that they were expecting their first baby. The big day came and it was a boy! Happy birthday little man! This baby boy was perfect! He was handsome, smart, active and a quick learner. His parents could only dream of how far he could go in life.
Then one day, before he turned 2, he got the flu for the first time. After about a week, he was still sick, so his mom took him to the doctor like all new moms would. The doctor assured her it was just a bad virus going around and it could take as little as another day or as long as 6-8 weeks to run its course but to keep in touch to make sure he got better.
Eight weeks came and went along with multiple doctors visits, and their perfect little boy was still sick. They took him back to the doctor, who insisted it was another virus and wouldn’t even poke his finger to check his blood, even though their son no longer had the energy to play, sit up or even eat. The next morning, when his mom woke him up, his tummy was so large that he looked like a 2-year-old who was nine months pregnant. So his mom took him to another doctor, who sent them straight to a hospital to meet a pediatric surgeon for a CT scan.
In less than an hour, their world came crashing down. During the test, the surgeon pulled them in to watch the scan and told them, “Your son has cancer.” To him, it looked like a very common cancer, but in the worse case, the cancer had an “evil twin.” Their son was scheduled for immediate surgery and chemo.
The massive tumor was removed and sections were overnighted to multiple labs, including the American Cancer Society and a renowned doctor in England. Within two days, they had all come to the same conclusion. It was the “evil twin.” Not only did their son have cancer, there are no known survivors of his cancer. That’s when the doctors told the little boy’s parents that the American Cancer Society had just come out with a new protocol of che-
mo treatments to try for his cancer type and asked if they would be willing to let them try it on their son in hopes of saving him. There were a couple of nights when they were told their son might not wake up or be with them in the morning. But he fought. They fought. Today, their perfect little boy is 21 years old and is going to school to be a radiologist. Because of the advancement in research through the American Cancer Society, their son lived. How do I know? Because this is my story. The little boy is my son.
Now we volunteer with Relay for Life to continue the research so that we can see a world with more birthdays. It’s my dream that someday no other parent will have to hear the words, “Your child has cancer.”
Each of us knows someone who has been touched by cancer, and there may be more people that we aren’t even aware of. How can you help? Get involved with your local relay. It is the number one fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The Nebo area has one coming up on Saturday, Aug. 29, on the Salem Hills High School Football Field. It will start with a 5K at 7 a.m. followed by a survivor/caregiver breakfast at 9 a.m. The day then kicks off with the opening lap at 10 a.m. that will be walked by the survivors. There will be live entertainment, team fundraisers, vendors, activities for the family, contests and more!
Form a team, register as a vendor or come out to support and have fun! Every dollar raised goes to the American Cancer Society to continue the fight. There is so much for us all to live for. To register a team or as a vendor, contact Kathy at 801609-8231 or Dawn at 801-856-0057. Help us “Pack the Track” with a community of caring. Together we can make a difference!