Support for Walker Smithson's Family

**Update 11/3/22.  

Walker's battle against B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia continues with aggressive Chemo treatment, while his spirit remains strong, the treatment continues to take a toll on his body. On October 25th, Walker's dad, DJ,  had a mass removed from his thyroid and it was discovered to be Renal Cell Carcinoma, the same cancer he beat 10 years ago. There are still many unknowns, but this is the most recent update from Wendy(11/2/22)

"Update on DJ: The results from the mass removed from his thyroid show DJ has Renal Cell Carcinoma. This is the same cancer he had in his kidney over 10 years ago and they believe it has come back in his thyroid. The ENT removed his drainage tube and is going to refer him to UAB for treatment. At this point, we are not sure if he will receive chemotherapy, radiation, or both, but after he sees a specialist and we find out more, we will let you know. Thank you for your prayers..."

Please continue to join us most importantly in praying and believing for healing, peace, and protection for the Smithson family and in 

generosity if you feel led. Thank you

**Original post: 

 Walker Smithson is a 14 year old student at Vinemont High School, he and his family attend Temple Baptist Church. On Friday, September 2nd, Walker and his dad made a trip to a doctor in Cullman, AL and by the end of the night Walker had been admitted to Children's in Birmingham, AL and diagnosed with Leukemia. He has since been put on an aggressive treatment plan and will be in treatment for 6 months - 3 years. 

We now know that Walker has B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and he has begun Treatment with a Bone marrow biopsy, the lumbar puncture for spinal fluid, the port installation, and chemotherapy. With his mom, dad, and sister by his side every step of the way.

First and foremost, we are asking that anyone and everyone join us in praying and believing in complete and miraculous healing for Walker and for peace and strength for his sweet family in the days to come. Secondly, we ask for your generosity to assist with the significant costs that will come with treatment outside of what is covered by insurance.

All donations will go directly to the Smithson family and the Rainwater family thanks you for the prayers and support for this family that means so much to ours.

From Wendy (9/3/22):

(will provide further updates as they are provided)

Our family is asking all who will to pray for Walker. He has been lethargic for several weeks and running low grade fevers off and on. DJ took him to a Dr in Cullman yesterday, where he tested positive for mono and strep. The Dr called around 4 this afternoon and said his white blood count was very high and suggested we take him to Children’s hospital. We arrived at Children’s around 6. Additional testing was done. Walker has Leukemia . We will meet with 2 oncologist tomorrow. Due to this being a holiday weekend, the bone marrow biopsy may not take place until Tuesday. We will be at Children’s all weekend and probably on into next week. The next step is to figure out exactly what kind of Leukemia and exactly how to treat it. The Dr said regardless of what kind, he will still need chemotherapy. Please pray Walker’s spirit stays strong. Pray that his body handles what treatments lie ahead. Pray for me and DJ. This news has come as a shock and we are devastated and heartbroken. Our faith is strong though, and we serve a God who is able. I will send out updates as I can. We thank you for your prayers. ✝️

Update from Wendy (9/5/22)

To say the last few days have been overwhelming would be a huge understatement. What we know: -God is in control -We are completely blown away by the amount of love and support that has been shown thus far. THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts! -The holiday weekend has prolonged a few things, but tomorrow, Walker will have a blood transfusion and will be given platelets to prepare him for Wednesday. -Wednesday will be a big day. They will put him to sleep for a bone marrow biopsy near his spine. While asleep, they will also put a port in his chest. That afternoon, he will receive his first round of chemotherapy. -We should know what kind of leukemia by tomorrow (they are thinking ALL) but we will not know what “type” of ALL until we get the bone marrow results back which could take a couple of weeks. What to pray for: -Great results on the bone marrow biopsy -That Walker’s body reacts well to the chemo -Pray for me and DJ. We need peace and strength. We are only in the beginning of this long journey and it is extremely difficult when you wish you could take it all away from your child, but your hands are tied. You feel helpless. Not hopeless…but helpless. **Thank you again for your prayers. We are humbled by all the kind words and beyond grateful to have you join us on this journey. We will send out updates as we can. Here are a few photos from the past three days.

Update from Wendy (9/7/22)

Praise Jesus! B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Please pray all goes well tomorrow with the bone marrow biopsy, the lumbar puncture for spinal fluids, the port installation, and the chemo!! #walkerstrong ✝️

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Update and explanation. I apologize for not explaining in the last post. We had been waiting on results as to whether the cancer was "AML" or "ALL". With AML, he would have undergone a 6 month "sprint" treatment at the hospital and would not have been able to come home during that time. The treatment for AML is harsh. We were thankful to hear he has "ALL" instead, which will result in the "marathon" treatment for 3 years. He is considered to be in the "high risk" category due to his age. The first year of treatment will be weekly and fairly intense/aggressive, then he will receive 2 more years of treatment afterwards (this is called the maintenance phase). The good news is the spread out chemo will not be quite as hard on his fragile body as the AML treatment would have been, and he will get to spend more time at home instead of the hospital. --More good news...He has done well with the 2 blood transfusions he has had. They were having an issue getting his platelet levels up for surgery today, but after the 2nd round, the level is where they can perform the surgery. Surgery was scheduled for 12:45 today, but they have moved it up to 9:30 (more good news b/c my growing boy would have been starving!!!). --Please say a prayer for him that all will go smoothly today. He has been a trooper so far!! I will let you know how everything goes today. We appreciate your support!!! #walkerstrong

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All further updates can be found on the WalkerStrong Facebook page.