BENS LEUKEMIA JOURNEY
Donation protected
BENS JOURNEY SO FAR:
ANZAC DAY 2018 A DAY WE WILL NEVER FORGET…
FOR A FEW WEEKS BEN (13 YEAR OLD BOY WITH ASPERGES) HAD BEEN COMPLAINING OF SWOLLEN AND SORE GUMS. AFTER SEVERAL DOCTOR VISITS, THE SWELLING WAS PUT DOWN TO A TEENAGER THAT DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO BRUSH HIS TEETH PROPERLY.
ON THE 25TH OF APRIL BENS MOTHER JODY, PRESENTED BEN TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AT LOGAN HOSPITAL. BEN WAS SEEN TO BY A DOCTOR & HAD BLOODS TAKEN. THE DOCTOR YET AGAIN PUT THE SWOLLEN GUMS DOWN TO POOR DENTAL HYGIENE. A FEW HOURS HAD PASSED AND FINALLY THE BLOOD TEST RESULTS WHERE BACK AND THE DOCTOR INFORMED JODY AND BEN THAT BEN HAD LUEKEMIA, SPECIFICALLY ACUTE MYELOID LUEKEMIA.
BEN WAS IMMEDIATELY RUSHED TO THE LADY CILENTO HOSPITAL IN BRISBANE, DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS HAD A CENTRAL VENUS LINE PUT IN AND A BONE MARROW SCRAPE. IT WAS ALSO DISCOVERED THAT BEN HAD A VERY SWOLLEN LIVER AND SPLEEN WHICH WAS CAUSING HIM A LOT OF PAIN. FROM THAT DAY ONWARDS BEN WAS PLACED ON A MORPHINE DRIP AND BEGAN HIS FIRST DAYS OF CHEMOTHERAPY.
BENS CURRENT CHEMOTHERAPY ROUTINE:
10 DAYS CHEMO
20 DAYS HOSPITAL REST
MINIMUM 4 ROUNDS
DURING BENS FIRST DAY OF CHEMOTHERAPY, HE HAD A SEVER ALLERGIC REACTION TO ONE OF THE CHEMOTHERAPIES. BEN BEGAN TO SEIZURE-LIKE SHAKE AND WAS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF PAIN. AFTER THE DOCTORS HAD STABILISED HIS REACTION, THEY REALISED BENS OXYGEN LEVELS WHERE VERY POOR THEREFORE HE HAD TO GO ONTO A FULL TIME OXYGEN MASK. BEN WAS ALSO EXPERIENCING EXTREMELY HIGH FEVERS, THAT WHERE HARD TO BRING DOWN.
DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS BEN BEGAN TO HAVE A FLUID BUILD UP ON HIS LUNG AND A LOT OF WATER RETENTION IN HIS BODY. A SPINAL TAP WAS ALSO CONDUCTED. HE ALSO HAD FURTHER REACTIONS TO THE CHEMOTHERAPY. NAUSEA WAS DEFEATING BEN, THEREFORE A NUTRITION LINE WAS PUT IN.
AS THE FIRST 10 DAYS OF CHEMO CAME TO AN END WE FOUND THAT BEN HAD A SEVERELY INFLAMED COLON & SPLEEN, THEREFORE HIS MORPHINE WAS ON A VERY HIGH DOSE. BENS HAIR ALSO BEGAN TO FALL OUT.
BECAUSE OF THE DESTRUCTIVE NATURE OF CHEMOTHERAPY BEN HAS NOW HAD MORE THAN 8 PLATELET TRANSFUSIONS AND 4 RED BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS. HE MOST RECENTLY WAS SUFFERING FROM KIDNEY STONES. BEN IS NOW FIGHTING A SEVERE LUNG INFECTION, HE IS VERY UNWELL. HE IS HAVING ORGANIC JUICES DOWN HIS NUTRITION LINE TO HELP HOPEFULLY BUILD HIS IMMUNE SYSTEM.
THE MILLS FAMILY ARE TAKING EVERY DAY AS IT COMES. THEY ARE THE AVERAGE AUSTRALIAN FAMILY WITH A MORTGAGE, THEIR SECOND OLDEST DAUGHTER ALSO HAS THE STRESS OF DOING YEAR 12 O.P.
ALL FUNDRAISING PROFITS GO TO ASSISTING THE FAMILY WITH DAY TO DAY LIFE PLUS THE EXTRA COSTS OF HAVING A CHILD IN HOSPITAL FOR A MINIMUM OF 6 MONTHS.
BECAUSE OF BENS ASPERGES, HE REQUIRES BOTH PARENTS BY HIS SIDE FOR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND COMFORT. HE ALSO HAS A DOG THAT HELPS BEN TO ADDRESS AND CONTROLE HIS FEELINGS BUT DUE TO BEN & THE OTHER CHILDREN IN THE ONCOLOGY WARD HAVING NO IMMUNE SYSTEM HIS DOG IS NOT ALLOWED AT THE HOSPITAL.
UPDATE *29TH MAY 2018* BEN IS STILL BATTLING A SEVERE LUNG INFECTION, HE HAS NOW HAD SURGERY TO HAVE TWO DRAINS PUT INTO HIS LUNGS ASWELL AS A LUNG BIOPSY, SO FAR OVER 500ML OF FLUID HAS BEEN DRAINED. NO FURTHER ROUNDS OF CHEMOTHERAPY CAN BE DONE UNTIL THIS INFECTION IS GONE. BEN IS NOW ON HIGH DOSE KETAMINE TO HELP WITH THE SEVERE PAIN.
ANZAC DAY 2018 A DAY WE WILL NEVER FORGET…
FOR A FEW WEEKS BEN (13 YEAR OLD BOY WITH ASPERGES) HAD BEEN COMPLAINING OF SWOLLEN AND SORE GUMS. AFTER SEVERAL DOCTOR VISITS, THE SWELLING WAS PUT DOWN TO A TEENAGER THAT DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO BRUSH HIS TEETH PROPERLY.
ON THE 25TH OF APRIL BENS MOTHER JODY, PRESENTED BEN TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AT LOGAN HOSPITAL. BEN WAS SEEN TO BY A DOCTOR & HAD BLOODS TAKEN. THE DOCTOR YET AGAIN PUT THE SWOLLEN GUMS DOWN TO POOR DENTAL HYGIENE. A FEW HOURS HAD PASSED AND FINALLY THE BLOOD TEST RESULTS WHERE BACK AND THE DOCTOR INFORMED JODY AND BEN THAT BEN HAD LUEKEMIA, SPECIFICALLY ACUTE MYELOID LUEKEMIA.
BEN WAS IMMEDIATELY RUSHED TO THE LADY CILENTO HOSPITAL IN BRISBANE, DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS HAD A CENTRAL VENUS LINE PUT IN AND A BONE MARROW SCRAPE. IT WAS ALSO DISCOVERED THAT BEN HAD A VERY SWOLLEN LIVER AND SPLEEN WHICH WAS CAUSING HIM A LOT OF PAIN. FROM THAT DAY ONWARDS BEN WAS PLACED ON A MORPHINE DRIP AND BEGAN HIS FIRST DAYS OF CHEMOTHERAPY.
BENS CURRENT CHEMOTHERAPY ROUTINE:
10 DAYS CHEMO
20 DAYS HOSPITAL REST
MINIMUM 4 ROUNDS
DURING BENS FIRST DAY OF CHEMOTHERAPY, HE HAD A SEVER ALLERGIC REACTION TO ONE OF THE CHEMOTHERAPIES. BEN BEGAN TO SEIZURE-LIKE SHAKE AND WAS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF PAIN. AFTER THE DOCTORS HAD STABILISED HIS REACTION, THEY REALISED BENS OXYGEN LEVELS WHERE VERY POOR THEREFORE HE HAD TO GO ONTO A FULL TIME OXYGEN MASK. BEN WAS ALSO EXPERIENCING EXTREMELY HIGH FEVERS, THAT WHERE HARD TO BRING DOWN.
DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS BEN BEGAN TO HAVE A FLUID BUILD UP ON HIS LUNG AND A LOT OF WATER RETENTION IN HIS BODY. A SPINAL TAP WAS ALSO CONDUCTED. HE ALSO HAD FURTHER REACTIONS TO THE CHEMOTHERAPY. NAUSEA WAS DEFEATING BEN, THEREFORE A NUTRITION LINE WAS PUT IN.
AS THE FIRST 10 DAYS OF CHEMO CAME TO AN END WE FOUND THAT BEN HAD A SEVERELY INFLAMED COLON & SPLEEN, THEREFORE HIS MORPHINE WAS ON A VERY HIGH DOSE. BENS HAIR ALSO BEGAN TO FALL OUT.
BECAUSE OF THE DESTRUCTIVE NATURE OF CHEMOTHERAPY BEN HAS NOW HAD MORE THAN 8 PLATELET TRANSFUSIONS AND 4 RED BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS. HE MOST RECENTLY WAS SUFFERING FROM KIDNEY STONES. BEN IS NOW FIGHTING A SEVERE LUNG INFECTION, HE IS VERY UNWELL. HE IS HAVING ORGANIC JUICES DOWN HIS NUTRITION LINE TO HELP HOPEFULLY BUILD HIS IMMUNE SYSTEM.
THE MILLS FAMILY ARE TAKING EVERY DAY AS IT COMES. THEY ARE THE AVERAGE AUSTRALIAN FAMILY WITH A MORTGAGE, THEIR SECOND OLDEST DAUGHTER ALSO HAS THE STRESS OF DOING YEAR 12 O.P.
ALL FUNDRAISING PROFITS GO TO ASSISTING THE FAMILY WITH DAY TO DAY LIFE PLUS THE EXTRA COSTS OF HAVING A CHILD IN HOSPITAL FOR A MINIMUM OF 6 MONTHS.
BECAUSE OF BENS ASPERGES, HE REQUIRES BOTH PARENTS BY HIS SIDE FOR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND COMFORT. HE ALSO HAS A DOG THAT HELPS BEN TO ADDRESS AND CONTROLE HIS FEELINGS BUT DUE TO BEN & THE OTHER CHILDREN IN THE ONCOLOGY WARD HAVING NO IMMUNE SYSTEM HIS DOG IS NOT ALLOWED AT THE HOSPITAL.
UPDATE *29TH MAY 2018* BEN IS STILL BATTLING A SEVERE LUNG INFECTION, HE HAS NOW HAD SURGERY TO HAVE TWO DRAINS PUT INTO HIS LUNGS ASWELL AS A LUNG BIOPSY, SO FAR OVER 500ML OF FLUID HAS BEEN DRAINED. NO FURTHER ROUNDS OF CHEMOTHERAPY CAN BE DONE UNTIL THIS INFECTION IS GONE. BEN IS NOW ON HIGH DOSE KETAMINE TO HELP WITH THE SEVERE PAIN.
Organizer
Kaitlan McQueen
Organizer
Yarrabilba QLD
