Having a child is carrying a piece of your heart outside of your body. Losing a child is having to carry that empty space with you for always. It is a wound that never heals. We had hope and tried to make every day count for Odin.
Everything felt unreal and everything happened so fast. Treatment was work then all of a sudden it was not and Caden was gone. There was nothing I could do to save my baby. There was no real treatment to help him fight. I felt completely powerless and defeated.
….having your infant son take his last breathe in your arms. Something I would never wish on anyone but also something I wouldn’t change for a second. I was there to bring him into this world and I was there to ease and comfort him on his way out.
Our entire family of 7 was in the hospital room when doctors first told Mason & us they feared he had cancer in his leg. It felt like a nuclear bomb exploded & transported us into the unknown realm of pediatric cancer. Mere minutes after hearing this life changing & unwelcome news, our brave & unconditionally loving first born son told me he was glad it was a him & not us the parents or his little brothers or sisters. In that unforgettable moment, my son’s soul & character was fully revealed. His love, his loyalty & his determination.
On June 20th, 2016, Lyndsey and Chris Mandley learned that their precious son, Carter, was diagnosed with cancer at just 9 innocent months old. They were crushed to learn that Carter had Extra-renal Metastatic Rhabdoid tumors (ER-MRT), a diagnosis that bears an extremely low rate of survival.
In under two weeks time, Kate and Rodney Ross’s 2.5 year old daughter Kennedy, a girl with black raven curls nicknamed #littlemissadventure, was airlifted to Boston, underwent emergency surgery, suffered a stroke, was given a cancer diagnosis, and never regained consciousness.
Bianka Kucelin will always be a shining light to all who have known her, beloved by family, friends and her whole community. She touched us all with her grace, joy, spunk, beauty and spirit. She loved to dance, play with her sister and friends, sing, go to shows, concerts, and plays, and to laugh. She was always kind, happy, and brave.
Brady was born on June 23, 2009 in Manhattan, Kansas at Mercy Regional Hospital. A healthy and happy 7lbs. 8oz. baby boy. At 2 1/2 years old, Brady started complaining of headaches and eye pain followed by vomiting almost everyday. Katy, Bradys mom, took him to his primary care physician and she said it was just a virus. Time went on and his symptoms worsened. Bradys family was anxious and needed answers so, they were VERY persistent and demanded a CT scan. The news was horrific, they found a massive tumor in his brain.
We are a family of six. Jason and I (Shawnalee) have been married for 9 years and are the parents of 4 wonderful kids. Jordan (17), Cameron whom would be 15, Jason Jr (7), and Tiara (4). In april of 2010 our lives forever changed. Cameron was diagnosed with Anaplastic Ependymoma. Cameron was such a happy, vibrant and strong kid. There was no way he couldn’t beat brain cancer…. right? Cameron fought for 5 years, fighting through 5 brain surgeries, two 6 week stays for radiation, every chemo known to man, and approved and trial meds. In November 2014 his doctors gave us the worst news any child or parent could ever receive.
Our little girl Simone was diagnosed at 10.5 months old with infant leukemia. This is a very rare (about 60-70 cases a year) form of leukemia with a poor prognosis. Despite her age and prognosis our little girl was a fighter. She handled hospitalization, chemotherapy and procedures like a champ and always had a smile on her face. She could always be counted on to bring a smile to every nurse, doctor and patient on our oncology floor.
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