Our shocking cancer story.
Hi, let me start off by apologizing. This is going to get long. Let me tell you a bit of my story. It is a bit shocking and has my heart devastated. Our family is hurting and in total shock.
On March 19, 2021, my little girl Meredith had an ultrasound test run because we couldn't figure out why she was constipated and running 103 temps. Two hours later, I got the call that would change the course of our lives forever. The dr. said I am sorry to tell you, but there is a very large mass in your daughter's abdomen. It looks to be a blastoma or sarcoma. It took a minute for me to register that those were cancer words. My 2-year-old daughter had cancer? No, this isn't true.
To Dallas, we went. We landed with an excellent team that has taken excellent care of us here at Medical City Children's. By the next day, they were sure it was neuroblastoma, and by March 24, 2021, they had determined it was stage 4. Treatment started!
Over the next year and a half, she underwent six rounds of chemo (an iv bag of chemo once a day for 3 to 5 days), two stem cell transplants, 16 rounds of targeted radiation and six months of immunotherapy. Five of them were two chemos and antibodies over a week, then home meds.
She is currently waiting to see where Her cancer is at after treatment!
But my friends, thank you for reading this far. Our story isn't quite over!!!
Let us rewind a few months. A few months ago, Alex was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy, thinking it was just a viral thing; he was treated and monitored by his pediatrician. Then September 6, 2022, I took him back to his pediatrician, explaining that he had developed other symptoms (rage, horrible tummy aches, threats to kill himself). She decides that an MRI is called for. On September 8, he goes in for the test. On September 9, we got the bad news. Yes, we could call this more life-changing news, but the giant bomb hasn't hit. Keep going friends.
If you couldn't guess already, back to Dallas. Back to our friends at Medical City Children's. After a few more tests, the neurosurgeon was sure he could remove at least most of it and was fairly hopeful it was just a benign tumor. We were sent home to wait the week for surgery.
On tuesday, September 19, 2022, Alex was admitted, and the next day they did a 6-hour surgery to remove the tumor. The results were "mixed," so what kind of tumor was in my child's head?
On September 23, 2022, Our life was again turned upside down. The tumor was, in fact, cancerous. ATRT ( Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor)!
In the coming days, he will receive his med, a port, a g tube, an MRI of the head and spine, a lumbar puncture and start chemo.
With all this going on, I have been unable to work, if you could only imagine. If you feel it in your heart to be able to donate to help with our needs, we will be eternally grateful. Please pray for our family and share our story if you cannot donate.
Thank you so much for your time, and God bless!
