Child cancer survivors celebrate with a day of fun
Cardon Children’s Medical Center organized event
Dozens of children who are battling cancer or have beat it celebrated their work and perseverance on Sunday morning by doing something they couldn’t for years of their lives — have fun with other kids in a public place.
Banner Health’s Cardon Children’s Medical Center hosted the celebration on National Cancer Survivors Day for kids and their families at Fat Cats movie theater in Gilbert.
Beaming children took pictures with Marvel superheroes and Disney princesses while others enjoyed the theater’s arcade, bowling alley and glow-inthe-dark mini-golf course.
A chance at childhood
Christine Jorgensen, a registered nurse, said the hospital has helped organize celebrations for child cancer survivors for the past 16 years.
Because chemotherapy treatments often leave children with compromised immune systems, Jorgensen said they tend to live sheltered lives until they’re deemed cancer-free. Celebratory events like Sunday’s give children memories many of their peers already enjoy.
“I think for the kids who are currently going through treatment, they’ve not been allowed to do a lot of things because of their (white blood cell) counts and things like that,” Jorgensen said. “So this is a day to be able to get out and have fun and be a kid.”
Ryan Harper was playing mini-golf with his son and daughter as he described how the latter’s cancer diagnosis changed their lives forever.
His daughter, Hanna, who is almost 9 years old, underwent nearly three years of treatment after doctors diagnosed her with leukemia in 2016. The lethargy and compromised immune system caused by chemotherapy made making friends difficult for her.
“She didn’t have the opportunity to have friends two years,” Harper said as his daughter lined up her shot. “The friends she had could only come over when her (white blood cell) counts were sufficient.”
Harper said his mother was diagnosed with colon cancer shortly before his daughter’s diagnosis and the two became “port buddies” after each had a port implanted underneath their skin to administer the chemo.
Treating the treatment
Christina and Bryan Eustice said their 12-year-old son, Hunter, still suffers from the side effects of his chemotherapy to treat a cancer that forms in muscle tissue called rhabdomyosarcoma, which he was diagnosed with in 2010.
Their son had to undergo physical therapy to improve motor function in his hands and feet after the chemotherapy damaged his nerves. The therapy appeared successful, as Hunter bested his dad in several rounds of air-hockey.
Now, the challenge is getting their son to gain weight.
Christina said she and her husband are debating whether to have a feeding tube inserted to ensure their son is receiving enough nutrients.
Amber Mugwagwa said her family dynamic changed in a moment after her then 3-year-old daughter, Kylah, was diagnosed with leukemia over a year ago.
“It turned our world updside-down,” Mugwagwa said. “We had to come to terms with it at first. We had to figure out how to make it a part of our life now (and) how to change parts of our lives to make sure she’s being taken care of.”
Although she’s in remission, Kylah has struggled to overcome her shyness after her cancer forced her out of preschool, making events like Sunday’s invaluable.
“Being out today and her being so free to do what she wants to do is just amazing to us,” Mugwagwa said.