Hearts of Love for Lucas

It was an ordinary day in May. The weather was transitioning from winter blunders to spring newness and joy. The kids were excited about playing outside again without getting cold. So outside went the three boys, Lucas, and his two older brothers, leaving their sister inside to enjoy her time with mommy. These boys range from 10 to 3. They were playing and having a lot of fun in their fenced yard on the refreshing day when Lucas fell. He hit his head and shook it off. He went to his mom, and they assessed his injury. It was a small bump that was then monitored over the next couple of days. But everyone thought boys will be boys. The bump began to grow instead of shrink. Lucas’s parents were immediately concerned and took him to the emergency. They never saw what was coming next. This was a new chapter of life in their book of horror.

Within minutes of being seen at the E.R., it became clear this was not just a bump.

FB post from parents:

So our weekend ended up being a lot different than we expected. We spent from Friday to Wednesday going through our first surgery and meeting many amazing people! Our baby boy ended up going to the Stollery, and they found a tumor. We are still unsure what we are facing in regards to treatment. Both Jason Pierce and I are very overwhelmed and are very uncertain of the answers. We ask our friends and family to be patient with us as we navigate the rest of our journey.

The first surgery was a biopsy to discover what the lump was. Lucas struggled to recover because the bump on his head kept growing. But he managed to keep a very positive spirit and, after the biopsy, it released enough pressure on his brain that he could now talk. He raced to his grandma and said…”Hey, gramma!!! I can talk now!” As the days progressed, It appeared his eye was starting to be pushed out of his head. The doctors scrambled to determine what the cause was. The family waited at home hoping for the best and anticipating the worst. They had already heard the word CANCER and were very scared this may be the truth. The phone would ring and they would jump, not sure if it was from anticipation or fear. Their group of supporters was growing by the minute and the phone was now ringing a lot.

Another FB post from Mom:

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their kind words, love, and support! Keeping us in your thoughts and prayers is all we can ask right now. Lucas is a superhero I never even knew existed. As we sit here and wait for results and treatment. We want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone! Thank you! I wish I had time in my day to thank everyone personally, but adjusting to this life has been the only thing on our minds so THANK YOU to everyone who has donated/shared, checked upon us, the suppers and groceries, and most definitely everyone who keeps Lucas in their heart. Everyday this journey would be downright impossible without all of you as repetitive as it may sound now...

Meanwhile, the parents pace in hope and worry. Lucas continued his life as if nothing was different. He ran and played with his brothers and sister. We would ask if his head hurt, and he would say his toe hurt! (what a comedian) He would laugh and run away.

FB Post from Parents

5 am hospital trip led to a 1130pm emergency trip. Home by 1:30 am and up at 7 am for nurses to come and bug you again. For now, Lucas rests so he can do it all again we can't even say we live day by day hour by an hour this life now is minute by minute.

Finally the call they dreaded came in. Lucas was diagnosed with Neuro Blastoma Cancer. Now the parent's heads were jumbled with thoughts and fears. What now? Is he going to be okay? They were told that Chemo was the first line of attack. Eight months of chemo, and they would be cancer-free! Not so bad right? They do a scan before chemo and start the treatments.

FB post from Parents

Update on Lucas - we went in today to get a few tests done and the tumor grew too much. After his scans tomorrow we will be admitted to start chemo thank you, everyone, for the love and support. This road has already been long and this is where it begins Jason and I could not do this without everyone. We wish we could thank everyone individually but we hope you guys all know we care for and love everyone!

Lucas is responding well other than his allergy to the booster shot. This shot is to help boost his immunity. Lucas has also struggled to understand why he needs to keep the lines for chemo, that was surgically placed. He had to have 2 surgeries for this alone. He now has one placed under the skin which requires a poke every time but is probably best for an overactive young man.

Family and friends are now rallying around in support of Lucas's recovery and shaving their head or coloring their hair purple! This rally along with all the prayers seems to have helped!!!!! Lucas gets some good news. He would be faced with only 6 months of chemo now, the tumor seems to be going down!!!

The treatments and scans carry on and Lucas is about to turn three. He has fallen in love with Mario and Luigi so his parents decide that a Nintendo parade by the house is just what is needed. They ask a friend to organize the parade while they concentrate on recovery and treatments. What was thought to be a couple of cars driving by all suited up in Mario attire turned out to be a grand event. Noone, not even the organizer expected the turnout they got!

Fort Saskatchewan’s Mayor and public works department, fire trucks and police, bikers and car enthusiasts, family, and friends all joined together to drive by and wish Lucas a happy birthday! The police, the mayor, and the bikers all stopped to gift Lucas with toys and money. Mario and Luigi took the opportunity for a photoshoot with the star of the day! None of the eyes in the crowd were dry!! Two news stations and two radio stations recorded the amazing day and Lucas’s parents wept in appreciation.

Now for another drop in hope. Two days after Lucas’s birthday they get bad news. The previous diagnosis is wrong. They are not sure what kind of cancer he has now. The doctors are not sure which cancer they are treating.

Now the journey of the truly unknown starts. We are treating unknown cancer, the tumor seems to be shrinking a little. The doctors decide to proceed with surgery to remove cancer. It is now November and after several chemo treatments, surgery is booked. The doctors informed Lucas’s parents the surgery would take up to 12 hrs. This is a horrifying day for mom and dad. The anticipated wait is almost too much to bear. 6hrs into surgery we get a report that the surgery went well and is over. They feel they got all the tumor they could and it went way better than expected! We all celebrate and are happy to hear all will be well now. There is even a rumor that the tumor that is left is dead. What a relief! We can now move into recovery and get back to life!!!

NOT SO MUCH!

After a scan to confirm Lucas's good news, it quickly turns to bad news. The tumor is near his optical nerve and is not dead. He has to have 4 rounds of chemo, reconstructive surgery to replace the dissolved orbital bone, and the removal of the remaining tumor , all before he leaves for Florida and has to be in Florida within 3 weeks of last chemo. He is now back into chemo.

It is a 7 week trip to Florida where radiation is needed to have a successful outcome, is necessary.

This family is extremely wealthy in love and life, but not at all in money. The daily financial struggle has increased bounds now because they have to figure out life in Florida while maintaining a place back home. They have 4 kids and do not want to leave any child behind. This journey has been with the whole family from day one. I couldn’t imagine being left behind while my brother goes through such tragedy so many miles away!

It truly takes a village to raise a child! Please, if you can, help keep this family united as they fight this cancer together! Thank you in advance for your kindness.