My daughter is a wild and carefree girl who loves to jump and play and swim with her friends and family. So when she began complaining of pain in her arm, we initially suspected that she possibly hyperextended it or sprained something while playing a little too roughly. Of course I checked her arm, poked it and asked where it hurt. There was no swelling or bruising or anything to suggest anything more serious. Until the pain started getting worse at night. We treated with Tylenol and that helped. We agreed that if it still hurt in a few days we’d take her in to have it checked by a doctor. When the pain woke her up in the middle of the night, I knew it was time to call her pediatrician.

We got an early appointment the following morning, a Friday. Her pediatrician agreed that growing pains wouldn’t wake her from her sleep and gave us orders for bloodwork and an x ray. We never would have anticipated the results. Her Xray showed an anomaly on her arm and we were immediately referred to a specialist for Monday morning. By the end of that week we’d had multiple scans and tests to confirm every parents’ worst fear, cancer. My happy, carefree, sweet girl, who has rarely been sick a day in her life, has an Osteosarcoma.

Needless to say, our lives have been turned upside down. Iris should’ve begun her school year as a second grader and mommy should be kicking off her 11th year teaching but instead we are in the process of getting Iris put on homebound services since she will not be able to attend school while receiving chemotherapy. Mommy is also taking a leave of absence to ensure that no extra risks of illness can be brought home. Luckily, Papi works remotely and is able to work from the house or hospital as needed. It’s likely that Mommy will run out of FMLA and finances will become strained as we continue necessary medical care. Our priority will ALWAYS be Iris and her health. Our journey will be long and difficult but we are fighting with everything we have and our girl is already doing amazing with adjusting to all of the new and scary things that are now happening. If anyone feels moved to donate to help with the financial strain, we would be extremely grateful. We would also appreciate any and all prayers for healing for our girl and strength and courage for Iris, Mommy and Papi as we learn to navigate this difficult time.