Stories

My name is Kim, I live in Boise, Idaho and I am the mother of a Cancer Survivor. On September 11, 2008 Ty was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in his right Tibia, Ty was 13 at the time. Of course this was a shock for all of us. We were living in Idaho at Mountain Home on the Air Force Base. Fortunately we caught it early when we noticed the bump on his leg. A few months into treatment Ty had to decide what type of surgery he would have to remove the tumor. Ty was treated at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah with Dr. Randall. Ty chose to have his leg amputated over limb salvage surgery. He knew that there were risks of other complications that went with replacing his tibia and knee and many other surgeries that he was just not willing to put himself through. On January 22, 2009 Ty became an amputee along with being a cancer patient. His treatment and recovery went rather smoothly. He had it a lot easier than most kids who go through cancer treatment. He never had to have a blood transfusion in the 10 months of chemo, nor did he need to have platelets or be admitted to the hospital for anything other than chemo. Ty was known around the hospital as " the kid with the funny shirts." He kept a sense of humor about his situation no matter how he was feeling or what he was going through. Ty always found a way to make people laugh and to laugh a little himself.  Ty finished chemo July of 2009 and is cancer free. I like to think things happen for a reason and for some reason this past week " Trevor's Trek Foundation" had been brought to my attention more than once. I felt compelled to tell my son's story after visiting the Trevor's Trek website and seeing the great work this foundation is doing on the Children’s Cancer Pavilion at Julia Davis Park in Boise. Thank you for letting me share Ty's story. (read more...)

On August 12, 2006 Isaiah Rafael Rodriguez was diagnosed with AML known as Acute Myelogenous leukemia, a quickly progressing disease in which too many immature blood-forming cells are found in the blood and bone marrow. He is currently being treated by our area's best available care at St.Luke's Regional Medical Center, including a pediatric medical facility with experience in treating childhood leukemias. The intense treatment for Isaiah's subtype of leukemia requires the skills of board-certified Hematologists-Oncologists, a Pediatric Surgeon, Radiation Oncologists, Pediatric Oncology Nurses, Rehabilitation Specialists, and Pediatric Social Workers. This team of trained professionals ensure that Isaiah receives state-of-the-art treatment, supportive care, and emotional support for the months or years of his treatment. Isaiah's battle continues as he is currently receiving treatment out-of-state in Seattle, WA, where he has undergone an unrelated donor bone marrow transplant as well as receiving outpatient treatment with the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. The Rodriguez family appreciates any and all of the support our family & friends can bring at such a critical time as this. Ryan - Feb, 2008 (read more...)

Ducks are known for their skills on the water, but they also have a talent of flying in the air. During each of my five pregnancies, I always made sure that in preparing the nursery that this bright, yellow, plastic floating bird was part of the bathtub accessories. I sang "Rubber Ducky, I'm awfully fond of you" during the early years of bathing my children. I'm not the best singer, but my kids always thought I was entertaining. It seems that Jarrett Micah, my 3rd child, was the one who enjoyed the tub the best. He would ask to stay in and play for long periods of time. With a little warm water added along the way, he would imagine himself to be an underwater diver searching for sharks, or journey on some other grand National Geographic quest. He enjoyed his marine adventures so much that one year at Halloween we built him a shark cage from a cardboard box and pulled him around in the wagon so he could trick or treat as a shark hunter. Then one day, the mighty hunter fell ill. Imaginative play stopped, and lying on the couch began. He was easily tired, but didn't sleep well at night. He lost his appetite and cried that his joints ached. Motrin would break his low grade fever only for it to return. It was the strangest viral infection I'd ever seen. I'm not sure if his diagnosis of leukemia was more difficult than his two months of pain and suffering. Those two months now seem like the longest in my whole life. In and out of the pediatrician's office, ER and lab visits, specialist appointments, a hospitalization and watching my 4 year old son being traumatized by it all took an emotional toll on me. A diagnosis of childhood cancer actually relieved me because I now knew what the problem was and could work toward nurturing Jarrett back to health. As Jarrett began chemotherapy I spent my time in the hospital and clinic with him reading about leukemia. My husband and I decided to get our water tested once we learned that benzene was a cause of leukemia, and that it was a bi-product of petroleum. We happened to live 500 feet from a massive petroleum tank farm which pumped in fuels from two different pipelines and stored them onsite for distribution. The movie, "A Civil Action" was coming out in theatres at the time, and it just seemed eerie that the children of the movie had the same type of rare childhood leukemia my son did. Their leukemia was linked to exposures of contaminated groundwater from community wells. I didn't want my son to die like all the children of A Civil Action. Yet twenty-five years after their plight, I found myself oddly in a similar situation. I should have realized that something was wrong when the water lab called asking for another sample. They speculated that our first sample had likely been contaminated from their lab chemicals, but the second sample revealed they were not. Carbon tetrachloride, a now phased out dangerous volatile chemical, was once used as an antifungal agent to keep rodents out of grain as well as used in refrigeration. 1, 2 dichloroethane is a solvent and degreaser. Both were reported in unsafe levels. Georgia Environmental Protection Division notified us that they would follow up on these results. They performed more intensive water tests and found what we had feared: benzene in unsafe levels. They also discovered trihalomethanes, trichloroethylene, chloroform, pesticides and a gas oxygenate in their samples. Our well was immediately shut down, and we decided in the best interest of our family to live in the basement of family until we could move elsewhere. I discovered that I could petition the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry who would investigate our exposure to these hazardous wastes. I wanted to know if these chemicals were responsible for my son's cancer. I also informed them of 4 other children in Athens who were diagnosed with acute leukemia before and after my son. A year and 30 pages later, a Health Consultation from ATSDR did not answer my question. Although they stated our risk for cancer was increased from exposure to the water, they left the report inconclusive. They gave no data on my son's in utero exposures to these chemicals, nor did they address the synergistic effects from our exposure to a multiple brew of toxicants. I was not satisfied so I continued to contact children's environmental health experts from around the world. I kept in contact with ATSDR, US EPA Region IV, GA EPD and the GA Division of Public Health to follow the investigation into the sources where the chemicals in our groundwater could have originated. In the meantime, I began a children's environmental health ministry to promote the awareness about the impact of the environment on children's health and well being. The emphasis of MICAH's Mission would be to reduce the environmental hazards in the lives of children and adolescents. The name of the ministry came easy. It was the middle name of my son who underwent 2 1/2 years of chemotherapy to stay alive. It was also a wonderful acronym: Ministry to Improve Child & Adolescent Health. In December of 2003, I received, after requesting and purchasing from EPA Region IV, an Expanded Site Assessment. The report summarizes that the petroleum constituents of benzene and 1, 2 dichloroethane could be attributed to Southeast Terminals, a company across the street from us, who had a history of negligence and environmental violations. Southeast Terminals is currently in remediation to meet compliance orders. Furthermore, according to this report, the carbon tetrachloride can be attributed to the old grain elevators in close proximity to our former resident. EPD is continuing their investigation of the grain elevators due to conflicting data reports from the landowner who hired a private environmental engineer for compliance issues. This contaminated area is listed on the GA Hazardous Site Inventory as the Athens Grain Elevators/Former Oakwood Mobile Home Park. I am seeking to hold Southeast Terminals responsible for their neglect, violations and failure to comply with federal and state environmental laws which resulted in our exposure to petroleum constituents from their facility. On behalf on my son who was diagnosed, treated and continues to be monitored for childhood leukemia, I would like to seek damages for his injury, pain and suffering. I would like to seek compensation for my family whose risk for cancer has increased because of our exposures to these chemicals. But I am also insistent that state and federal environmental regulatory agencies be held responsible for their part in failing to protect the environment and human health in our case. I call this the Duck Brief because of the water exposure pathway during his in-utero, infancy and early childhood that exposed my son to a burden of toxicants during critical windows of development. We believe the petroleum constituents contributed to his leukemia. Ducks, though they spend lots of time in the water, also breathe air and fly in the atmosphere. Childhood cancer research indicates that children who live in close proximity to petrol stations are at x4 the risk of developing acute leukemia. The longer they live near these facilities, the greater the risk due to benzene in the air. The most recent research also indicates that benzene in the atmosphere can be an in utero cause of childhood cancer. With the air pathways I breathed in my home from the volatiles in our water, along with the atmospheric benzene from the petroleum companies outside, there is no doubt that these multiple exposure pathways began my son's in utero exposures resulting in chromosomal changes. The fact that these volatiles would also transfer in breast milk is also contributory since I nursed my son into his second year. The poor regulation of these petroleum facilities is largely to blame for extensive environmental contamination that leads to my son's disease. Because the entire environmental regulatory agency has failed to do its job to protect the environment and human health for the past 30 years, I have a final reason for calling this the Duck Brief. The research from Woburn, Mass. where a Civil Action took place indicated that women, who drank contaminated water when pregnant, had children with a higher risk for leukemia. Childhood cancer remains the #1 cause of disease related deaths in children which are now known to be caused from atmospheric combustion pollutants especially benzene related chemicals. For their attempts to keep our environment from degradation and our children healthy, I have one bird word, "Quackery." Jill - Jan, 2008 Visit Micah's site at http://www.micahsmission.org/ (read more...)

My daughter Stephanie Suzanne Sands was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocyte Leukemia- T cell in mid-July 1999. I would later learn that Stephanie's was the 2nd case diagnosed as attributable to the Fallon, Nevada childhood leukemia cluster. In early June 2001 I again found myself traveling to the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center at Philadelphia to spend the day with Steph; she had undergone an UCB stem cell transplant there on 23 MAY 2001. Although the transplant had gone very well with engraftment beginning soon after the procedure, Steph remained hospitalized. During my drive to Philadelphia I struggled to find the words that I had to speak to Stephanie that morning that young Adam Jernee of Fallon who also battled ALL T-cell, had died the previous day in a hospital in Southern California. Stephanie and I spent perhaps our first hour together that morning in idle chitchat and with Steph good naturedly complaining about hospital food and that sort of thing. She complained bitterly of how badly she missed her son. She could tell that something was bothering me and I could not delay the inevitable any longer. There are no good words by which to deliver bad news and as gently as I could I told Steph of Adam's passing. Stephanie turned away in silence and remained sullen and detached for what seemed like an eternity. After a while Steph turned back to me and asked me how old Adam was; I told her that Adam was 9 years old. Steph's eyes filled with tears and slowly those tears were replaced with anger. STEPHANIE'S PLEA Daddy, they're just little kids. They didn't do anything wrong." Stephanie Suzanne Sands died in my arms on 1 SEP 2001 at the age of 21. She left behind an adoring 3-year-old son, Ewan Mikel Sands, and a heartbroken family. THE FALLON, NEVADA CHILDHOOD LEUKEMIA CLUSTER By her own words Stephanie planted the seeds of my activism that June day; her death lit a fire within me. The Fallon, Nevada childhood leukemia cluster is the most aggressive attack of cancer in medical history worldwide, in terms of time/spatial clustering. The official investigation into the Fallon leukemia cluster recognizes 17 cases of childhood leukemia. In Truth, there are no less than 25 children who have been cut down by Fallon leukemia over the course of several years; no less that 5 of our young warriors have died. The Fallon, Nevada childhood leukemia cluster was identified and exposed, not by the Nevada Cancer Registry or by the Nevada State Health Division, but by the parents of Fallon children undergoing treatment for leukemia at Oakland, CA Children's Hospital when they literally ran into each other there. Richard Jernee would later tell me that after encountering several other Fallon parents there in Oakland that What the hell? Became the word-of-the-day among Fallon parents who found themselves thrown together several hundred miles from home. The Fallon, Nevada childhood leukemia cluster soon hit the Public consciousness and the glare of national media attention forced CDC- the Centers for Disease Control to launch it's first cancer cluster study in more than 20 years. CDC and the Nevada State Health Division publicly predicted that their work would fail and several years later gloated in their failure as they closed their Fallon investigation. As with all of CDCs previous cancer cluster investigations, their Fallon study was doomed to be Inconclusive by Design from the very outset. I know of no other individuals, agencies or businesses which claim to achieve success through failure, yet this is CDC's stock in trade. CDC's Fallon childhood leukemia cluster study is it's 109th consecutive failure at cancer cluster study. If CDC were a horse, it would have been put down decades ago. OTHER COMMUNITIES, SAME STORY: In 2002 Dee Lewis and community activists in Calvine-Florin, CA became alarmed at the excesses of cancers, many of them rare cancers, among their neighbors. The CA activists were rebuffed and derided by governmental agencies as they presented their concerns. Also in 2002 Terry Norbrock of Tucson, AZ began mentoring and supporting many parents in Sierra Vista, AZ whose children had been diagnosed with Acute Myelocytic Leukemia. The Arizona Department of Health used every trick in the book to keep the Sierra Vista case count below statistically significant levels in order to avoid conducting a cancer cluster study there. AZ DOH went so far as to hand off one of the Sierra Vista cases to the Nevada State Health Division for inclusion into the Fallon study. In 2002 Paul Spracklen, father of a daughter fighting AML at NAVMEDCTR-San Diego bumped in to a woman there who seemed familiar to him. During a brief conversation Paul and this woman realized that they had been neighbors living in base housing while stationed at Guam. Within a short period of time Paul was in contact with a number of other former Guam neighbors whose children were fighting childhood leukemia at various locations around our country. Through personal tragedy Paul discovered and exposed the Guam childhood leukemia cluster, which struck the dependent children of US Navy and US Air Force personnel serving on Guam. In 2003 concerned parents of children diagnosed with ALL and living in Hoisington, KS contacted independent university researchers involved in Fallon, Nevada and Calvine-Florin, CA studies. More recently the story of the struggle of Trevor Smith formerly of McCall, ID has come to light, and Trevor's and his mother Charlie's work has begun. Most recently Michael Barry and concerned residents of Victor, NY have discovered stunning clusters of cancer and autoimmune disease among the residents of 50 homes there, which sit atop a known groundwater TCE plume. The list goes on and on and on. The stories remain the same, only the names and faces change. Floyd - Dec, 2007 (read more...)

We live in northern Virginia now just outside of Washington DC. I agree that something needs to be done to raise awareness about childhood cancer and funding for childhood cancer research. Presently, I spend a lot of time worrying about the long term side effects of the very aggressive chemo that Nicholas started when he was just 16 days old. New issues seem to arise quite often, and information that I was given 4 years ago about the particular drugs he received has already been changed. He had an echo and EKG yesterday for which I am anxiously awaiting the results. He also has an appointment today because of possible liver issues that are developing. It's just not right! Re: Congress ~ Last June, my children and I participated in the Cure Search Reach the Day events in Washington DC. We were fortunate to meet some Idaho participants while we were there, Tammy from MSTI (can't remember her last name) and Hank Showalter and his mother. We met with our representatives in Congress and told them our story. We plan to continue those efforts. It is so important. Re: Rise of cancer ~ I have asked myself that very question so many times. Prior to Nicholas' cancer, I know that I would have believed that the people weren't eating healthy organic food or that they lived on well water too close to agriculture or they lived under power lines, etc. However, we were so careful about what we eat and what we cook with, where we lived, etc. I didn't even wear make up when I was pregnant. How is that for paranoid? I made my husband clean the toilets so I didn't have to be near any chemicals. Yet, my child got cancer. After Nicholas was born, I felt so powerless because all the things that I could control weren't enough to prevent him from getting cancer. I do believe that there is something in our environment that is out of my immediate control that probably did this. We lived in a newer home. There are all kind of chemicals in carpet and paint and sheet rock, etc. Look at Boise air during a winter inversion. It's HORRIBLE! I get so upset when neighbors use companies to spray pesticides all over their lawns every month. I can remember going out for a walk and then turning back because I could smell that someone somewhere was spraying their yard. Those are things that are out of my immediate control, but they are things that can change if people would just listen and make smarter choices Thank you so much for raising awareness of childhood cancer. We moved from Idaho about a year ago, but before we left I had started looking into a Conquer Childhood Cancer specialty license plate. I didn't get very far though. I had no idea how politically charged specialty plates had become! Tawny Flanders is a friend of mine, and Bri is a friend of my daughter. Through her website, I have seen the work that you are doing (the video, the float, proclamations, etc.). I am so happy that you are doing what I had not yet accomplished. I wish we still lived there to help you! I wanted to write to you about an unusual connection between Trevor and my son Nicholas who was born with cancer in April 2003. Throughout his treatment, I personally double-checked each dose of medicine that he received. I looked for his name, the drug name, the dosage, etc. no matter what time of day it was. One night, a nurse came in and started to give Nicholas chemo ALMOST before I could go through my compulsive checking routine. I stopped her and asked to see the bag. The name "Trevor" was on the bag. I stopped her just in time thankfully. Dr. Johnston told me later that that chemo was meant for an older boy and that the dose would have killed Nicholas. It wasn't until yesterday while I was thinking about Bri and the float that I put your Trevor and this Trevor together as the same person. Of course, it may not be the same person, but I think that it is. I am so happy to hear that Trevor is doing well. You are both an inspiration to me. Nicholas is also doing well. This month he has been off treatment for four years! I wish you continued health and happiness. Lara Derderian - Dec, 2007 (read more...)

After my diagnosis of Brain Cancer in 2002, I became very concerned about the environmental factors that might be contributing to the increasing prevalence of childhood cancer. Hearing the words " You have cancer" is just about the worst thing you can hear as a young child, unfortunately it is heard much to often. There are many lasting side effects of cancer treatment that are virtually unheard of by anyone who has not been touched by cancer personally in some way. I am passionate about raising awareness of childhood cancer because I have, and still am experiencing what can happen when people do not have the proper knowledge of this vicious disease. I can take a perfect example of this from my own life. When I was told that I had cancer the first word that came to my mind was "death". I think the only time I had ever heard the word was on the news when some well-known celebrity died of cancer. I was completely! Unaware that cancer can strike anyone at any age, at anytime. It was not until I started going tough my cancer treatments and getting check-ups at St. Lukes Mountain States Tumor Institute in Boise, Idaho that I became aware of all the young children with cancer that I realized something was wrong. It was like the childhood cancer ward was a hidden room with no apparent knowledge from the outside world. Well it is time to pull the cloak off of the childhood cancer ward and reveal to everyone what has been happening to our children. Children are the future; cancer can destroy that. Trevor Schaefer - Nov, 2007 (read more...)

Ryan Smart is 4 years old.  He was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) at age 3.  Ryan loves his big sister Mariah, trains, fishing and bike riding. My name is Charlene and my husband’s name is Chad.  We were the type of people who refused to ask for help because we didn’t want to inconvenience anyone. Our son Ryan was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on November 5^th, 2009 at the age of 3.  He is currently 5 years old and his favorite things in the world next to his big sister Mariah are trains.  At the age of 4 he knew he wanted to be a train engineer. Ryan also enjoys fishing, hiking and riding bikes. Since Ryan’s diagnosis we have experienced a wide range of situations, emotions and decisions pertaining to his disease. Ryan is mostly a normal 5-year-old Boy who plays, laughs and even gets in trouble. For the first several months of treatment, life seemed ever changing and unstable. It got to a point where we couldn’t remember what our lives were like before he was diagnosed with cancer.  After the first couple of months we had developed a new routine, where his treatment was like clockwork and the clinic visits allowed us the opportunity to know the doctors and nurses very well.  We made a tea set out of play dough, played silly games and pretended we were lions, mice and bears. We watched lots of movies, made new friends and the introduction of Lego’s become a must during Ryan’s treatments. Our ability to muster a smile was hard to find during Ryan’s many Bone Marrow Aspirations (or as he lovingly calls them his “Bone-and-Arrows), spinal taps and infections equaling long hospital stays early on.  If I were to dwell on the night we received the life changing call and the days following we would not have able to smile at all.  Over a year later after everything that Ryan has overcome, that has changed.  Because of that we have found more strength then we ever know we possessed. We realize just how loved we were by our family and friends as well as those we never knew. (read more...)

Taylor Moss is 9 years old.  She was diagnosed with Anaplastic Large cell non Hodgkins Lymphoma at age 8.  Taylor has a love for animals, especially her cat Gus. (read more...)

Dayana Arredondo is 6 years old.  She was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) at age 4.  Dayana enjoys riding bikes and playing soccer. (read more...)

Mitch Martell is 15 years old.  He was diagnosed with Burkitts Lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system) at age 14.  Mitch enjoys baseball, fishing, hunting and playing X-Box Mitchell and his family live in Glenns Ferry; when it became apparent that he would be in the hospital for some time and having pretty aggressive chemo, the family relocated to Boise; and, we relocated to Boise from West Linn, OR.  Our task was to find a place for us all to live and we had just a couple of days.  We found a wonderful townhouse on Bogus Basin Road and we all (6) moved in together.  Mitchell had his own room and bathroom when he was able to be at home.  The other two children in the family, Maxwell,10 at that time, and Madeleine, 7, had to start school there and find althletic teams to be placed on.  It was almost mid-August and teams were full.  My other daughter and her family were there at that time, got on her laptop and wrote to the head of the Athletic Dept. for Boise School District and both were placed on teams immediately;  Maxwell, on football, and Maddi on a soccer team. Part of why I tell you this is because the outreach of the community, the teachers and staff in the school they attended, and everywhere we touched someone through neighbors, the small drive-through coffee close by, the YMCA, etc. all jumped on board and were absolutely amazing.  Through our friends in Oregon, their friends in Glenns Ferry, and of course our own family came together and the support through cards, prayers, generosity of time, kept our spirits up and rekindled one's faith in people. During the summer of 2009, Mitchell was 14 and was playing basketball in a tournament during the fourth of July celebration in his home town of Glenns Ferry, ID.  He was also playing baseball during the summer as he usually did.  He was looking forward to being a freshman that fall when school started.  He is a normal teenage boy, energetic, loved sports and was a good athlete.  He was strong, quick, and had decided baseball was his favorite sport.  He also plays football, basketball and wrestles.  That summer he seemed to be more tired than usual and his agility/quickness was missing.  He had complained of a number of things, including his back hurting.  He was so busy, and sometimes playing two sports at once, so his parents thought it normal to be tired because he was also growing and wore a size 12 shoe. On August 8th, during that night when he got up to go to the bathroom, he fell on the floor; he had lost the use of his legs.  The next day it took both mom and dad to get him  bathed and dressed and to St. Luke's emergency room in Boise.  After just a few tests, an MRI was ordered and it was determined that he had three tumors on his spine.  He was in surgery later that night to remove two of the tumors.  One was left, which was at the base of the spine behind the tailbone.  The incision was approximately 20 inches and it was a very delicate procedure with two specialists present.  He was in the pediatric ICU for his recovery and was to begin Chemo immediately. It was determined that he had Burkitts Non-hodgkin's lymphoma.  This is a very aggressive and somewhat rare cancer that strikes children between 12 and 16.  It was somehow linked to Mono which we didn't realize Mitchell had ever had mono; however, DNA testing proved that he in fact did have mono at some time.  The protocol that the hospital staff and doctors followed were from a team of doctors from the National Pediatric Oncology Board.  They literally went by the book on his treatment based on their experience with this type of cancer.  He underwent months of chemo treatments administered through a lumbar puncture directly into his spine.  He was a very sick boy and had so many horrific side effects.  When he began this ordeal he weighed about 150 lbs. and at the end of the treatments he was somewhere around 112 lbs.  For a boy that is 5'10" that is a bit scary.  He was thin to begin with but looked so gaunt at the end.  He had several more surgeries, on the rectum, knee, back, due to the complications of the chemo or the meds. Spent a week, twice a day for 2 hrs each time in a hyperbaric chamber.  He had to be transported there and the ordeal exhausted him.  He missed his freshman year in high school; he did go to prom and it was so good to see him in a tux and ski hat because he was hairless everywhere. Mitchell is now 15, he goes to MSTI every month to have blood work and check-ups; has an MRI every three months, and he is cancer FREE!!! he has grown, which they weren't sure would happen because of the chemo and surgeries on his knee (twice) for osteonecrosis. These suregeries were close to the growth plate. They also had to drill his thigh to keep the infection from spreading.  He now weighs about 170 lbs. and is about 6' tall. His shoe size is 13 1/2.  His last chemo was in April of 2010. He has also been released to play baseball and he is absolutely amazing.  He still does not have any feeling in his feet and up the calf about mid-calf but even the coaches can't tell. Mitchell now has a full head of hair, curly, which exasperates him but we'll love every single curl on his head and are so thankful for his recovery and I have been blessed to watch him play in his first baseball game this year.  I watched him run from third and slide headfirst into home.....and I cried.  By: Mitchell’s grandmother Shelby R. (read more...)

Bradley Springer is 7 years old. He was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma (a cancer of the sympathetic nervous system) at age 3.  Bradley enjoys video games, movies and coloring superhero pictures. Bradley Charles Springer was just 3 and 1/2 when he was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer called Neuroblastoma in November of 2006. Bradley is now 4 and 1/2 years old. You have no idea how devastating the news was. Mom was 24; Dad 26 and they have another son who was 9 months old at the time Bradley was diagnosed. How could this be? Bradley had been treated for a year for what 2 family doctors called "normal childhood constipation" for about a year before a nurse practitioner decided to run urine and blood tests and knew something was really wrong. Bradley had a tumor the size of a tennis ball on top of one of his adrenal glands. The cancer had spread to his lymph nodes and bone marrow. Life will never be the same for this family. Living with cancer is truly just one day at a time. Bradley had 5 rounds of chemotherapy before they could do surgery to remove the tumor and one of his adrenal glands. Then on to Salt Lake City for a double stem cell transplant and radiation. The stem cell transplant was very painful. Bradley and the family came home for a short time and then went off to Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York to obtain the latest cancer treatment called Immunotherapy (3F8). Baseline tests that were performed indicated that he was still not cancer free. They did additional chemotherapy and Bradley had a difficult 8 and 1/2 hour surgery where the surgeon looked at every organ in his abdomen, removed lymph nodes that looked bad and scraped anything that looked like it didn't belong in there. His remaining adrenal gland was destroyed. He will now take medication for this for the rest of his life. I think that people don't really realize the impact on the extended family that childhood cancer has. I'm his "Nana" and I can't fix this. I've listened to my son have to make life and death decisions for Bradley. It hasn't been easy. Clark, his brother, has basically grown up in the hospital and Ronald McDonald house. Thankfully, my son was blessed with a great job and they have been wonderful and have let him telecommute. If it weren't for telecommuting, they would have had no income. We have been blessed with friends and family that truly care. Bradley is truly a miracle child. Currently, Brad is heading into his fourth round of Immunotherapy and is doing well. He is gaining weight and his hair has started to come back. His energy is continuing to increase every day and so is his stamina and appetite. We need to band together and find out what is happening to our children. Kids should never have to battle cancer. God doesn't make mistakes and we know that he has a plan for Bradley and Bradley has touched many hearts and gives us the strength and hope to find a cure for all childhood cancer! Cathy - Dec, 2007 (read more...)

Olive Ashcraft is 2 years old. She was born with Spinal Cord Astrocytoma.  Olive enjoys dancing, dressing up and play dough. (read more...)

Andrew Vanderploeg is 10 years old, he was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma Brain Cancer at age 8. Andrew likes to read play basketball and tell jokes. Andrew was 8 years old, and the sweetest, most loving child you could ever imagine when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor September 27, 2008. We'd all noticed that Andrew was a bit clumsy, and even joked about it with him, but thought nothing major of it. There are lots of kids that are not overly coordinated at his age. However, his uncoordinated movements began to look a bit different. Kids at school were even teasing him because of the way he walked. The catalyst to get him checked was a homework session with his mom. She noticed that he could not write legibly and was having a hard time reading, even though he had always been an advanced reader. The next day she stopped by to talk to his teacher and discovered that she had noticed a significant deterioration of his handwriting and that he couldn't even hold scissors. I immediately took him to the Doctor, and they performed an MRI of his brain to see if they could determine the cause of his loss of motor skills. They discovered a large tumor covering 70% of his cerebellum.  After finding the tumor, it was discovered that there was extra fluid on his brain, increasing the pressure to a dangerous level, so the first priority was to relieve that pressure. They drilled a small hole in his skull to allow the fluid to drain, and his motor skills immediately already improved. The next step was surgery to remove the tumor and determine if it was cancerous.  After a torturous surgery, the surgeon came out to give us the full update on the outcome of the surgery. He informed us that Andrew’s tumor was in fact Medulloblastoma cancer.  Andrew began his radiation treatments the last week of October 2008. He received the maximum dosage a person can receive in a lifetime in one month’s time.  He had his first of twelve doses of chemotherapy starting in November.  At first, the treatments did not affect him more than just making him tired and bald.  However, after the second dose the nausea kicked in.  Andrew began to throw up multiple times during the day.  In March of 2009, he was becoming so malnutritioned that he had a feeding tube put in his stomach to get him the nutrients he needed.  Andrew began throwing the tubes up on a regular bases, so the tube was moved to his digestive tract.  This continued for a couple more months. Nothing was working, Andrew was only means of receiving nutrition was thru an IV administered twice daily.  It wasn’t until the middle of November that his digestive tract began to function again, to our great relief!  Andrew completed his cancer treatments in December of 2009, and has been pushing himself to have a life outside of cancer ever since.  He has a strong desire to share his story and enlighten others who experienced cancer.  He has spoken at St. Baldrick's Fundraising events and at Boise State University about his fight with cancer, and those who helped him get through it.  He participates with Trevor’s Trek Foundation to help increase community awareness of cancer prevention through legislation and education, and was even featured in The Trevor’ Trek Children’s Cancer Survivor Calendar.  It has taken time for Andrew to regain his strength and energy, but he is now able to run, which he loves to do! Andrew hopes to be able to play basketball once he is a little stronger.   He was able to discover a talent and affinity for skiing thanks to Camp Rainbow Gold, and is looking forward to doing it again in the future.  He loves reading now that his double vision is gone, and is starting a new book every couple of weeks.  Currently reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which he sometimes reads out loud to me with great enthusiasm.  He participates in his school choir and volunteers every opportunity he can for class activities.  He loves playing fetch with his dog, Oliver, and playing games on his DS and Wii.    He is looking forward to the summer and going camping in a tent, something he hasn’t done since he was diagnosed. He’s looking forward to swimming, which he would do every day if he could.  We are working on getting him a 3-wheeler bicycle since his tumor has prevented him from having the balance to ride a regular 2 wheeler. With all these challenges, Andrew is not discouraged and looks forward to any opportunity he has to explore life and experience new adventures. Brittnay Nelson- 2011 (read more...)

Mayeli Unzueta is 13 yrs old, she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer at age 9. Mayeli enjoys volleyball, school and loves to read. (read more...)

Jaden Bennett is 8 years old. He was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (a form of bone cancer) at age 7. Jaden likes to play the drums and enjoys sports. (read more...)

Owen Bridgewater is 6 ½ years old. He was diagnosed with ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) at age 5. Owen enjoys swimming, riding his bike, t-ball and school. Three weeks before Owen's 6th birthday, his life changed with one phone call. Our doctor told us that it looked like Owen had leukemia and we needed to get to the hospital as fast as possible. We ended up staying in the hospital for 2 weeks after officially being diagnosed with ALL (leukemia) and a whirlwind of tests, chemotherapy, and procedures began. For almost the next year, Owen didn't leave the house except to go to clinic and/or the hospital because of his weak immune system. He had to miss all of Kindergarten and could not do the things that he loved, like go swimming or play with his friends. He has had countless chemotherapy treatments, spinal taps, blood transfusions, and labs done. He has spent more nights in the hospital than we care to count and has spent more days sitting in doctor's offices than most adults ever will. He is currently in his 2nd year of the " maintenance " stage of treatments and is ending his school year as a 1st grader. He is currently going to school full time, but he has had to miss several days because of low blood counts, an unplanned hospital stay, and monthly trips into clinic. He plays soccer and baseball, is in swimming lessons all summer long, and loves to play with his friends. People are surprised to learn that he is still undergoing chemotherapy treatments for leukemia because he looks and acts like a normal 7 1/2 year old boy. Owen has handled all the changes that having cancer has brought into his life so well; he rarely feels sorry for himself and does everything that is asked of him without complaining. To him, taking chemo pills at night, going to the doctor a lot, and having your blood tested weekly is just part of a normal life.  He focuses on the positive things that having leukemia has brought him (like going to Camp Rainbow Gold in the summer, meeting a lot of wonderful people, and getting to go on a Disney Cruise with Make A Wish) rather than all of negative. I think we all could learn a valuable lesson from his experience! He truly is an amazing little boy! To him, taking chemo pills at night, going to the doctor a lot, and having your blood tested weekly is just part of a normal life.  He focuses on the positive things that having leukemia has brought him (like going to Camp Rainbow Gold in the summer, meeting a lot of wonderful people, and getting to go on a Disney Cruise with Make A Wish) rather than all of negative. I think we all could learn a valuable lesson from his experience! He truly is an amazing little boy! (read more...)

Gracie Baskett is 7 years old. She was diagnosed with Wilms' Tumor (Kidney Cancer) at age 2. Grace loves to camp, hike, swim, ride her bike and play soccer. (read more...)

Zach was diagnosed on July 18, 2008 with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia – T cell when he was eleven years old.  The  week he was diagnosed, he was playing on the West Valley All Star baseball team and was competing in the District Championships.  He had pitched and was playing great.  He was tired and felt like he was catching something so we took him to St. Luke’s in Eagle.  After he was examined, we were sent down to the ER at St. Luke’s in Boise for more tests.  After taking blood work, urine test, chest x-ray and an ultrasound, the ER doctor came in and told me that Zach’s white blood cell count was very elevated from normal and they believed it was leukemia.  The diagnosis was confirmed later that day and Zach immediately started chemotherapy and was in the hospital for six days getting treatment.  Within the first week, his body responded very well to the treatment and he was considered to be a “Rapid Early Responder” which was great news for his overall treatment and prognosis. Zach was on a very intense treatment protocol for the first ten months of his treatment .  He received both oral and iv chemotherapy and also radiation treatments.  The total length of treatment for this type of leukemia is three years and three months.  Zach is in the last stretch of his treatment with only two more spinal taps with chemo to go (he has had 26 already) and the end of his oral chemo will be the first week of November, 2011. Zach has been back to school full time for the last two years and is doing awesome.  He has continued to gain strength and endurance as well and is growing like a weed.  He earned a spot in the National Junior Honor Society for his 4.0 GPA last year and is also back to playing baseball, basketball, golf and skiing.  Zach turned fourteen in March, will be completing Eagle Middle School in June, 2011 and will start at Bishop Kelly High School in August, 2011. Zach Taylor is 13 years old. He was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) at age 11. Zach enjoys golf, baseball (Boston Red Sox is his favorite team), skiing, and playing with friends. (read more...)

Maddie Funk is 14 years old. She was diagnosed with Leukemia at age 11. Maddie enjoys volleyball, basketball, and hanging out with friends. (read more...)

Dante Rock is 8 years old. He was diagnosed with an Anaplastic Wilms Tumor (Kidney Cancer) at age 4. Dante loves airplanes and sports, especially football. On September 23, 2006, a day that will forever live in my memory, my son was diagnosed with an anaplastic Wilms tumor at the age of 4.  “Your child has cancer,” are words no mother ever wants to hear! Dante was an energetic child who was full of laughter and love, how could he possibly be sick?  The next few weeks are somewhat of a blur as I attempted to take in a lifetime of medical information in a few short days and make the decision that would give my son the best chance of surviving his illness.  Medical language, procedures, medications, and hospital life became our new reality.  Dante spent one (1) month of intensive radiation.  He had a chemotherapy schedule that consisted of a year of treatment with as many as 5 days at a time being spent in the hospital being given 5 different types of chemo drugs each day.  He had countless surgeries to place permanent IV lines, remove his tumor, kidney, lymph nodes surrounding his kidney, gallbladder,  and the majority of his jejunum (part of his intestine), as his tumor had begun to spread.  He had other surgeries that were to “correct” complications that arose due to his treatment. We spent practically every major holiday in the hospital, complete with a visit from Santa on Christmas day.  Throughout the entire ordeal he smiled, some days the smile was a little dimmer than others, but every day he smiled and occasionally you could see a glimmer in his eye.  The same glimmer that once made him so full of life would be the glimmer that would keep him alive.  There were days where rolling over in bed was impossible without assistance, and days that he “rode” his horse throughout the halls of the hospital with a tired mother dragging his IV pole in an attempt to keep up. This fall, Dante will celebrate 5 years from date of diagnosis!  He is a charming 9-year-old boy with a zest for life.  He loves playing flag football, airplanes, video games, and anything sports related.   He still wears the scars of his journey on his body and his soul, but this fall he can claim to have “kicked cancer’s butt!” (read more...)

Spencer Baderman is 9 ½ years old. He was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) at age 6. Spencer loves dinosaurs, rocks and digging. (read more...)

Morgan Hill is 17 years old. She was diagnosed with Medullobastoma (Brain Cancer) at age 15. Morgan enjoys hanging out with friends and riding her bike. She was a tri athlete before her cancer diagnosis. August 25, 2008 was supposed to be Morgan's first day at Boise High School, unfortunately she was sick. Morgan had been experiencing odd flu like systems for 6 days.  We went to the hospital and were told she had a bad virus and that she would get better. On the 26th we were back at the hospital and this time we were told she had a brain tumor. On August 28 she had 11+hour brain surgery and we were told she had cancer, Medulloblastoma.  Fourteen months of treatment and she is cancer free. Before cancer Morgan was an accelerated student and a triathlete. Morgan finished one duathlon and three triathlons before her 15th birthday. Now she is trying to regain her balance and her ability to ride a bike. Cancer changed Morgan from an avid athlete to a spectator, cheering for those able to participate. We all hope that one day she will be able to complete another triathlon.  Morgan was a grade ahead in Math and Science and that allowed her to stay with her class and graduate on time from high school May 26, 2011. Morgan will attend Linfield College in the fall. (read more...)

Haylee Winters is 16 years old. She was diagnosed with a cancerous Optic Glioma at age 14.  Haylee loves music, hanging out with friends and family, she loves loving and taking advantage of the randomness of life..... (read more...)

Paige Leonnig is 15 years old. She was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer at the age of 14.  Her entire thyroid had to be removed.   Paige enjoys running, basketball, hanging out with family, friends, and her two yellow labs. Annually, I have my check-up with my pediatric doctor. I went to my appointment for my fourteenth year and everything seemed to be perfect. Out of the blue a month or so later I got a call from my doctor recalling that she forgot to tell us that she thought my thyroid felt lumpy. At the time, I didn’t think much of this because I didn’t know what my thyroid was. It turns out one’s thyroid is an organ that controls their stress levels, tiredness levels, and metabolism. After hearing this news from my pediatric doctor we decided to investigate it further to make sure there was nothing wrong. I first visited my Ear Nose and Throat Doctor who suggested that I have it ultra sounded.  That led to seeing an Endocrinologist, which led to having my thyroid biopsied. A biopsy is when a sample of one’s tissue is taken from a certain area to be tested for certain malfunctions within the cells. My biopsy would test my thyroid tissue and determine whether I had a disease called Hashimoto’s or cancer. After explaining this to me my endocrinologist added that I shouldn’t worry too much about cancer because at my age I had a less than 5% chance of having it.  On November 23, 2009 I left early from school to get my biopsy. I tried to be as optimistic as possible and was hoping that the biopsy would be done quickly and I could play in my basketball game later that evening. The ultrasound prier to the biopsy went well. The doctors decided anyway to biopsy a spot on my thyroid that contained calcification, which is a red flag for cancer. My doctor was very kind and comforting and told me that once the results were received that he would call us personally. I did not get to play in my game due to risk of internal bleeding, but I loved getting the chance to watch my team. When I arrived home that night my parents took me into our study and announced to me that I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. From the moment I heard those words leave their lips I felt no fear. I knew God was by my side and would help me get threw it. What I was more worried about was those around me having to suffer because of what happened to me. The surgeon decided that I would need to have my whole thyroid removed in order to eliminate the cancer. The surgery date was set for December 11, 2009. Leading up to the days of my surgery I cannot describe in words the love that I received from my family and friends. My walls were filled with cards, my room was decorated with hearts, and my family and I received many meals from friends. I don’t think I have ever felt more safe and close with the Lord as I did then. I continued to pray and by the morning that my alarm went off to head into the hospital I had complete confidence that everything was going to turn out just fine. The surgeon did have to remove my entire thyroid, and while in the process, discovered that I had Hoshimotoes Disease. It was a complete blessing that the doctors had discovered all these problems so early on. I had about three weeks of recovery and then was back to basketball. Daily I take a thyroid pill to replace the hormone that it released for my body. It took about a year and a half to finally get these pill levels normal, but now I feel healthy and strong again.  Looking back at this experience I am so thankful for everything I learned from it. The bible quote, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,” really helped me put everything in God’s hands through this time. I also learned many valuable lessons like living each day to the fullest and being the best person I can be, because no one ever knows when life will take them by surprise. Although, the main lesson I learned was to always be thankful and make the right choices since I get the chance to make them. I am so thankful for my family that helped me through this time of my life and I hope to one day help others that go through the same situations. (read more...)