This post is reprinted with permission from Manic Mother in order to spread awareness.
Please help my family kick Cancers Ass
I don’t even know where to start this post…its going to be hard to write, as I am already choking back tears and haven’t finished the first sentence. I am taking some hours away from the hospital, to write this and to try to clear my head.
As many of you know my youngest son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) 2 days ago, the day my world fell out from under me.
We took him to the Dr. the other day because he was bitten by either a spider or a tick. Shortly after we noticed the bites we saw he wasn’t feeling well, kind of lethargic, and not eating much, he also was limping in one leg. I assumed he was having a reaction from the bites.
They did an x-ray of his legs to make sure he hadn’t fractured anything as a precautionary measure. The x-ray showed he had some abnormalities in his bones.
We are in the grocery store and I get a call from his pediatrician, he tells me I need to take him to the ped. oncology tomorrow. That it could be cancer. My world is spinning now, we walk away from our filled grocery cart, and head back home. Panic starts to set in.
It still is not making any sense. Ezra has been a perfectly healthy baby. He shows none of the typical symptoms of ALL. Besides being pale (but we all are), and the limp that just showed up. He is healthy, or so I thought. How do you go from a limp to leukemia?
After seeing the pediatric oncologist we are still hopeful, since he also says he doesn’t see any of the symptoms. So they take some blood and we are on our way.
That night we get a call from him, and our told to take him to the ER. We rush our baby off in the middle of the night. At the ER my husband and I have to endure things no parent should ever have to see, I don’t think I can go into detail. Just imagine blood curdling screams from your baby, like nothing you have ever heard.
We are told later that night that it probably is leukemia. Still have to wait for final lab results though. Sure enough he has cancer. Holy shit, my baby has cancer.
He is doing good so far, he had surgery to place a port in his chest so they can administer the chemo, and that went well. He has had 2 rounds of chemo already, and is staying tough.
His spinal test came back negative, meaning the cancer had not yet spread to his spine and brain…we caught it really early.
Thank you spider.
The type of leukemia he has is the most treatable type, it has the highest remission and cure rate. Silver lining perhaps?
That doesn’t take away from the fact that he now faces 3 years of chemotherapy. 3 years.
Here is where we need your help.
We are by no means financially well off. I stay at home with the boys, and my husband works PT and goes to school FT. We live off of his little pay and student loans.
We also share a car.
We can’t afford a new one…or even a used one. I am going to be taking Ezra to the Dr. 2-3 times a week, there is no way we can share a car, with my husband having to go back and forward from school and work. Not to mention if he gets a fever I have to take him to the Dr. ASAP.
His insurance should cover all of his medical bills. Its just the other things we can’t afford.
We also need to make my home more suitable for Ezra, I need to have the plumbing, and ac serviced to make sure it is clean. Any bacteria infection can kill him. We just don’t have the funds to do so. Yes, my family is helping out some, but their means are limited as well. Not to mention much of their money will be spent flying down to help me (they live in MN).
I am a proud person, I do not like being a charity case. But given the current situation, I am swallowing my pride, and asking for any help you can give.
Even if its only a dollar, I would be thrilled.
If you don’t have a dollar (I know I don’t) , please help out by blogging about this, tweeting, stumbling, etc. I have seen how Mommy bloggers rally to help each other out in times of need, and I know you will all do the same for us.
I am putting a paypal button in this post for donations, and there will also be one up in my sidebar, which I know works. I don’t know if this one will work, its so confusing and my head hurts, but we need help ASAP so I am trying to muddle through this.
Please help in anyway you can, thanks so much, and keep the prayers and thoughts coming.
~
Manic Mother (Beth)
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