Mom of Toddler With Leukemia: Live in the Moment
As the mom of a 4-year-old son in the midst of cancer treatment for leukemia, I need my precious Jack to be surrounded by love. Your support of CaringBridge makes that possible.
My silly, happy, well-spirited boy has a full year left of chemo that gives him stomach aches and a face rash. One of the chemo drugs he takes makes his fingertips look really dark, and sometimes his eyes look sunken.
And for eight days each month Jack is on steroids that make him feel irritable and tired … with anxiety and intense hunger. He rubs the corners of his mouth so much with his blanket to soothe himself that he has red marks. These weeks are super-draining, as my husband and I try to help Jack through.
Jack has been on this rollercoaster since he was 2. For a few months before his second birthday, he had intermittent vomiting and coughs. We had been working with doctors to figure out what was going on. But then came a high fever.
My baby was admitted to the hospital and received a transfusion because of low blood counts. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed our fears; Jack was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia.
Although this news was devastating, we are grateful that this form of leukemia has a very good prognosis and cure rate.
Team Jack
I’m honestly not sure who told me about CaringBridge. Maybe it was friend? But I started Jack’s site as soon as he was diagnosed. We asked everyone to please join us as we go through this journey of healing, recovery and hope. With God and all of you, we are TEAM JACK!
4-year-old Jack does a dandelion dance
I had a strong faith before Jack’s diagnosis, but since then it has grown and changed. In my prayers I ask for only what I need to get through today, not for what is to come.
It is a long road in this three-year treatment plan. Jack has a full year left … if nothing else comes up. There are still a lot of unknowns, and my Mama Bear will keep coming out as I advocate and push through to help my son.
But I know that God’s plans for Jack are good. And I know that through CaringBridge I will always have a place to turn when I feel scared or need comfort or hope.
We don’t know what may come or what normal will look like—as if cancer is in the picture of any normal you would imagine for a family to deal with. But we are living this … it is real.
I am not strong alone, but I look to God for strength and live one day at a time.
What have we learned in this journey with Jack? You hear this so often, but we mean it: Live in the moment. Slow down. Be meaningful with your time and what you do.
I hope you can feel the impact of your support on my family. May every family who has been what we have been through know how much CaringBridge helps.
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CaringBridge is a nonprofit social network dedicated to helping family and friends communicate with and support loved ones during a health crisis through the use of free, personal websites. Know someone who could benefit from starting a CaringBridge site to keep loved ones informed and get the love, and support they need?