Our neighbor’s little girl has just been diagnosed with cancer. She is almost 2 years old. A lump was discovered in the back of her right calf and would have to be biopsied. It’s some sort of muscle cancer I guess. She was taken to a hospital in Kansas City and they told them that it was definitely cancer and they couldn’t cut out the tumor because if they did they would have to cut out some bone too. She can’t undergo radiation because that would stop the growth of the bone. So she has to undergo 42 weeks of chemotherapy. A home health nurse comes in three times a week to check her blood counts, her parents are giving her shots every day to try to boost her immunity, she has a catheter in her chest (for the chemo) that her parents have to flush with saline everyday, all kinds of medications to give her… and a bunch of other shit that I can’t remember right now.
I guess the doctors want to try to get her white blood count over 10,000… last Wednesday it was 4,500 and two days later on Friday it was 250. She basically has no immune system whatsoever so she could very easily get sick. Her parents bought hand sanitizing gel, latex gloves, and masks just in case someone comes over that is sick or coughing.
I can’t imagine the stress that they are under. It’s definitely a life-changing event for them. I mean, their little girl could die from this! It makes me feel really grateful (and sometimes a little guilty) that my kids are healthy. I don’t know if I would be able to handle something like that happening to one of my kids. I just can’t imagine!
I brought them some homemade chocolate chip cookies (because the little girl likes them so much) and I told them that if they need anything to just give us a call but I feel like I should be doing something… anything to try to help them! She told me that she has a calendar showing when people are bringing over meals for them… it’s full all the way to November so fixing dinner for them is out!! The mom belongs to a local group for stay at home moms and a local la leche league and they already have a fundraiser scheduled for early November. I just don’t know what I can do for them.
There’s more to all of this but I just can’t think about it anymore. Just please send some good thoughts to this little girl and her family and hope that she gets better.
A girl in my son’s class has a three year old cousin who was diagnosed with leukemia. The little girl was very close to her cousin and felt helpless, as we all do when something like this happens. With mom’s help, she organized a blood drive in his honor. It was a big success.
Shortly after that, the docs said the little boy needed a bone marrow transplant, when they were testing for donors, they discovered that things were turning around and it looks like the boy is doing better. The docs said, that it helped that he was so young.
I see kids like her daily at the theme parks. Wish foundations and Give Kids the World give these kids a one week vacation at Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and other central Florida attractions, and the Village is always booked near solid.
No matter how much I smile at these kids (and to see them smile is such a joy to behold), it still tears me up inside.
You can do something. Organize another fundraiser, because their medical bills will be higher than you can even imagine. A blood drive is another good idea. Offer to help take care of the siblings, if there are any. You can probably do some running for the family - pick up prescriptions, or even pick up the dry-cleaning. Mow their grass, or rake their leaves, or take their laundry and wash it at your house – any of that mundane stuff that they may not have time for. Say lots of prayers!
I get heartsick when I hear stories like this. One of my favorite Ren Faire performers lost his 6 year old daughter to leukemia this past February. My good thoughts are with you and your neighbor. You’re right – it SHOULDN’T happen to kids
I don’t know any children personally with Leukemia, this is a second hand account. One of the math teachers at our school is taking the year off. This is because her little five-year old daughter has a brain tumor. The little girl came to our school with her mother to pick up some paperwork one day, and she was just the most joyful little thing, bald head and all. However, she is going to die. I’ve never met this girl, yet this still almost brings me to tears thinking that a five-year-old is going to die.
This is so timely for me; I spent most of Monday in a teary depression after we heard that my good friend’s little boy, age 2, has leukemia. He’ll have to be in chemotherapy for the next 2 years–and he has to have some surgery to correct another problem, too, that might interfere with the chemo. My friend is due with their 3rd child next month.
On the plus side, they live next to one of the premier hospitals for this (it’s a blessing in disguise that they haven’ been able to move away from the area as they’ve wanted!). They’re getting a lot of support from family and neighbors.
There doesn’t seem to be anything I can do; we live 3+ hours away. I can’t even bake cookies–just send emails sometimes. I just send a lot of thoughts their way and scheme to give them money. He’s such a great little kid, and he and my little girl are only a week apart in age, so I keep looking at her and thinking, and I don’t know whether to mention her or not to my friend when I give her our news.
Yep, the low blood cell count is a killer. We had to take my mom to the hospital last friday because the count hit an all time low even though she was on medication that increases white blood cells. BTW Kiki, you don’t have to do something. Just be there. And the “call me if you need anything” a little frustrating. EVERYBODY says it.
