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About 6 months ago it hit me like a freight train that I needed to quit my job and be with my son at any cost, and thankfully my husband fully supported this. My last day of work was May 24. On June 1, Gideon started limping and complaining of leg pain, which he would have for the next several weeks on and off. This is really difficult information for us to share because it still doesn’t feel real. Our sweet, smart, astute, funny, curly strawberry blond headed boy has cancer. After limping on and off for a month, doctors finally diagnosed him with Leukemia (ALL). While his prognosis is good, we have a long battle ahead of us. Full of anxiety, fear, but most of all, hope. You have no idea how hard it is to see your little one in pain, have surgeries to install “ports”, receive spinal taps, and bone marrow tests, be put under for an MRI, be poked and prodded all day long, until you are in it. It’s like being in a battle zone fighting for the person you love most in the whole world, entrusting strangers to help save your child’s life. No one knows why people get Leukemia, but it’s very rare. Only about 4000 kids in the US get this diagnosis annually. Why our baby was picked for this lottery, we may never understand. We have received an outpouring of support from our neighbors and friends, and we are grateful as this is life changing for us and will take a village to come through. Treatment is 2.5 years, but we are hopeful he can return to more and more normalcy as treatments progress. We have been at the hospital for the past week and expect to stay here another week to several weeks, depending on how he does with the initial treatment. These have been the most horrifying days of our lives times one billion and we are leaning on each other and the support from our wonderful neighbors and friends to help us with little but important things like laundry and fresh fruit. We don’t have much energy to answer additional questions at this time because we are so focused on Gideon, and honestly just so overwhelmed by everything we have to do to help our little man get better. It’s very difficult to keep up with texts and calls from the outside right now. We appreciate the sentiment but just can’t always handle more energy output at this time. Thank you for your support. I hope none of you ever have to experience this.
Jamie Fischer I saw this post after a connection of mine reacted to it. My son, Jack. Was diagnosed with ALL in October of 2011 at 18 months old. He is now 14 and doing great. I can remember the initial visit to the ER, the initial conversation, and the years of treatment that followed. We will be sending love and support your way (Gideons as well)
As an adult survivor of childhood ALL, you are in my prayers. I am here more than 30 years after my last round of chemo- I hope that gives you hope ❤️
Sorry to hear about this. My daughter was 4 when she was diagnosed with AML. I continued working albeit from hospital and my wife did most of the day shifts and I did the nights. She is now 7 and we take it day by day. Be strong but don’t be afraid to cry if you need to.
Please reach out to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and ask about a first connections match. They will connect you with other parents who have been in your shoes! Sometimes you just need to hear from others who can ease your anxiety and answer the questions you don’t want to ask online and they’re not medical. We will keep fighting for little Gideon and keeping him and your family in our thoughts! #noonefightscanceralone
You never know why "you" got chosen for this lottery. You do not want to be part of the "special needs" parents club. You will hate it when people tell you quips like "G-d chose you because you were strong" or "You are strong enough to manage this." Just know that you are not alone. Find your support network to help you through it because you will need all the help you can get. Your child is your number 1 priority. Do whatever you need to to make that part of your life ... the part where you are helping him the "easiest." Don't be afraid to accept the help that is offered. Hire the home cleaning help -- do take out. Mass cook and freeze if it helps relieve stress. Put your energy where it is needed and that is with your family first and foremost. Good for you for taking that step back where your attention was not needed now. Best wishes for complete health for your little one.
So sorry to hear about this. I’ll be praying for all of you. There are 2 resources I would like to share. A friend’s child had cancer (she’s made a full recovery), and they set up a Caring Bridge site. https://www.caringbridge.org. You can ask everyone to follow the page and only have to post one update. It should lessen the communication burden. My friend and (I think) an angel on earth, Mindy Atwood, runs Patches of Light (patchesoflight.org). Her organization helps families with sick children. If you need help with anything, you can fill out the application and send it to her. Her organization has been a godsend to many over the last few decades.
My thoughts are with you! My family had the same experience as I was growing up, and my sister was diagnosed with ALL in the same way! She had pain in her leg, and was walking a bit bow-legged, which at 3, doesn't appear to be anything other than a toddler still learning their legs. She underwent treatment for a little over 2 years, and went into remission after that - there have been only a couple scares since then, but is now 34 and a wonderful mom to my 2 year old niece. Stay strong, rely on friends and family for support 💕
I pray for Gideon's divine healing. May God give you all, the strengths and hope to get through this IJMN.
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4hJamie, praying for you, your family and especially Gideon. August 31, 2020 my granddaughter was diagnosed with ‘ALL’ she was 19 months old. I like you was filling the Lord telling me I needed to quit my job in Ohio and moved to Florida two weeks later she was diagnosed. 1. We set up CaringBridge to alert, family and friends to daily progress or needs so that we didn’t have to answer the same questions or disseminate the same information. 2. Set up a GoFundMe account. You may feel you do not need it, but the journey is long expenses arise, and those who wish to monetarily donate to you have a resource to get this into your hands. 3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t be afraid to tell people that you need your space. 4. Get connected with your local children’s miracle network, other companies that support childhood cancers. There are many that will assist you and your social worker can help you. 5. God will carry you through this. Treatments have changed over the years doctors such as the ones we experienced at Nemours children’s Hospital were amazing resources for information and support. In God alone Mary Ann