Keaton Gabel

​Over the summer of 2018 Keaton had significant signs of something being wrong. There was extreme pain that could not be relieved by over the counter pain meds. Massage offered minor relief. Heat pads and cold packs did not help much. Constant low grade fevers were often masked by medicine. There was a length difference in his legs. An X-ray was done over the summer and did not show anything off. His pain began to extend beyond his leg to farther down the leg and up the back. ​During the fall of 2018 a nurse noticed his limp and asked him some questions. She reviewed his chart. She ordered and MRI. ​The MRI was painful. By that time the pain Keaton was feeling was beyond control and intolerable. He could not remain still for the test to be done. It took several attempts before a scan could complete. ​The review of the MRI revealed a lesion in his right pelvis. The nurse arranged for us to go to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. We arrived and were admitted. It was Tuesday October 26th of 2018. Over the span of four days multiple scans and tests were done. A port was installed. We went home Friday. ​The following week the tests had confirmed Keaton had Ewing’s Sarcoma. Treatment was to begin immediately. Fortunately the tests showed the tumor had not spread to the marrow, other organs or any lymph nodes. The first chemo was on Halloween of 2018. The treatment plan would consist of chemotherapy and radiation to combat the disease. It was determined surgery was not a favorable option given the location of the tumor. ​For the next ten months Keaton made numerous trips to Cardinal Glennon and St Louis University Hospital. He maintained his school status via homebound education working with his math teacher. She worked with the hospital educators and Keaton and even helped coordinate FaceTime sessions with some of his classmates. ​Keaton completed the treatment for Ewing’s on August 26th, 2019. The day before he was to start 8th grade. ​The next follow-up scan showed no sign of tumor. Life started to return to some level of normalcy. ​During a follow-up scan in December of 2019, during the Holiday break, some spots appeared inside his left femur and a few other random areas. These were not any areas which should have been impacted by the high dose concentrated radiation treatment. A PET/CT and marrow biopsy was ordered to see what was going on. Those would occur immediately after the New Year break. ​The PET/CT lit up. The samples from the biopsy were reviewed and did not appear to be Ewing’s cells. The doctor told us they appeared to be a type of leukemia cell and sent the samples to a lab for further examination. The lab confirmed they were acute lymphoblastic leukemia B-cell (ALL) cells. A second biopsy was performed to acquire additional samples to perform various genetic testing of the cells. ​The treatment for the leukemia started immediately. For the following twenty-eight days Keaton went through the first phase of his treatment plan. Upon conclusion of the first phase (called the induction period) tests concluded his leukemia was in remission. The treatment plan was laid out with several phases and a bone marrow transplant was required. ​It took 3 weeks to recover from induction. This lapse in treatment was of great concern to his medical team. Another biopsy was done and indicated leukemia remained in remission. ​Stage two begins… ​The first treatment in the second phase did not go well. Keaton’s kidneys were highly irritated by the chemo. A three to four day planned visit turned into two weeks. His chemo level reached a point to allow him to go home, however his kidney levels were still elevated and he was placed on twenty-four hour home fluids. ​The second treatment did not go well either. An allergic reaction to one of the chemo drugs required multiple Epi-shots and landed him in the ICU overnight. ​It is now March of 2020. The bone marrow transplant is scheduled for mid-April. ​This process has gone on longer than anyone could have predicted. If not for the help and support of so many friends, family and strangers I have no idea how we could have made it this far. ​ **6/17/2020 On May 6, 2020 Keaton underwent his bone marrow transplant. He spent a little over a month quarantined in the hospital bone marrow unit. He will need to stay near the hospital for several months during recovery. We have been utilizing extended stay hotels for the temporary residence. The first 100 days following transplant are difficult. High risk for infection and lots of clinic visits for checkups and transfusions. Currently 2 weeks from hospital discharge and we have made 2 ER visits. Everything is still on track, but it’s quite stressful. Trying to stay healthy and somewhat engaged to counter quarantine-fever is not an easy task!