Taytum's Hodgkins Support
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Hi, My name is Nathan Pearce, I am Taytum's father. Taytum is 13 and a pretty normal teenager. She gets good grades, plays in the band,loves to draw and paint, and enjoys spending time with her friends. But earlier this year she began having pains in her chest when she would inhale. We took her too the local urgent care since it was in the evening and they took a chest x-ray not expecting to find anything. What they found was something that "wasn't supposed to be there". We were sent to the ER in St. Louis that night where she was admitted to the hospital. Just over a week later and several tests and scans down the road, she was diagnosed with late stage Hodgkin's Lymphoma. They found two small masses and one large 12cm by 13cm mass in her chest.
This news was obviously difficult to hear, but the doctor's told us that this type of cancer had about a 90% cure rate. However, she would have to go through chemotherapy for the next 6 months to a year. The most remarkable thing about all of this is the way Taytum handled it. It almost didn't seem to phase her. It was as if it was though she just saw it as something that had just happened. She accepted it. She was going to do what needed to be done and then go on with life. No big deal.
As treatment has gone on, she has maintained this positive outlook for the most part. Her biggest irritations are the lack of normalcy; not going to school, seeing her friends, and having to avoid going out while her blood counts are low. And of course spending days in the hospital. She has her bad days. Times when she gets really sick or just gets down about the whole process, but she keeps her wonderful attitude through it all.
Taytum has gone through several cycles of chemotherapy, but still has several to go. This treatment is both costly and very time consuming. That is why we are reaching out to you. The doctor and hospital bills are not the only things that affect our family. There are are many prescriptions to be filled and a lot of travel expenses. One of the biggest costs is time off from work while she is in the hospital. We would appreciate any help you could offer. And thank you for visiting our site.
This news was obviously difficult to hear, but the doctor's told us that this type of cancer had about a 90% cure rate. However, she would have to go through chemotherapy for the next 6 months to a year. The most remarkable thing about all of this is the way Taytum handled it. It almost didn't seem to phase her. It was as if it was though she just saw it as something that had just happened. She accepted it. She was going to do what needed to be done and then go on with life. No big deal.
As treatment has gone on, she has maintained this positive outlook for the most part. Her biggest irritations are the lack of normalcy; not going to school, seeing her friends, and having to avoid going out while her blood counts are low. And of course spending days in the hospital. She has her bad days. Times when she gets really sick or just gets down about the whole process, but she keeps her wonderful attitude through it all.
Taytum has gone through several cycles of chemotherapy, but still has several to go. This treatment is both costly and very time consuming. That is why we are reaching out to you. The doctor and hospital bills are not the only things that affect our family. There are are many prescriptions to be filled and a lot of travel expenses. One of the biggest costs is time off from work while she is in the hospital. We would appreciate any help you could offer. And thank you for visiting our site.
Organizer
Nathan Pearce
Organizer
Benton, IL
