On the other side

leslie :-D · Jul 18, 2008

i'm so sorry, sunny.:icon_hug:

next will be his course of treatment.

amazing advances in cancer therapies, continue on a daily basis.

big, loving hugs for you and this brave, young man.

leslie

becembrie · Jul 18, 2008

I am so sorry. This must be so difficult for him and his family. He is going to be having a bunch of tests very quickly. I would anticipate more labword, a bone marrow aspirate and biopsy, a lumbar puncture, a chest xray. The pediatric cancer units move very quickly and this can be very overwhelming for the family and patient.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of you as he goes through this difficult time. Keep positive and know that many people are praying for him.

santhony44, MSN, RN, NP · Jul 18, 2008

I'm so sorry to hear that. I have a son the same age so it really hits me.

Please do keep us updated and know that there are lots of prayers for him. If you wouldn't mind, IM me his first name only please.

SunnyAndrsn · Jul 18, 2008

Thanks for the information so fast. We were told the biopsy is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Tonight he was admitted to the PICU, as his white count is high enough there is concern about thrombosis. My sister, his mom, will spend the night with him tonight. I'm 6 hours away by car, this is h--l on me, as we are very, very close. My sister is 5 years older than me, and she was a single mom. She and my nephew lived at home with my parents and me for the first few years of his life. I was her labor coach, the other parent those first few years, and he was the light of our lives.

My mother was battling Huntington's disease at the time, and we knew very little about the disease. My nephew brought laughter back to our lives during a very sad, desparate time.

He's smart, scored a 31 on his ACT's, wants to be a marine biologist, and earned some college credit in high school.

Sorry, I started rambling a little bit...thanks for letting me.

I am so sorry. This must be so difficult for him and his family. He is going to be having a bunch of tests very quickly. I would anticipate more labword, a bone marrow aspirate and biopsy, a lumbar puncture, a chest xray. The pediatric cancer units move very quickly and this can be very overwhelming for the family and patient.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you as he goes through this difficult time. Keep positive and know that many people are praying for him.

becembrie · Jul 18, 2008

Sunny, you sure have weathered some difficult times as a family. I know that your sister can feel your love and support. She must be having such a hard time. Again, I will continue to pray for you, your sister and your nephew. Somehow, we seem to find the strength to deal with some really difficult situations. I send you many positive thoughts.:heartbeat

CHATSDALE · Jul 18, 2008

this puts an icy hand around any mothers heart

as les said there are more tx now than at any time in history, i pray that the outcome is going to be good and that this is a just a bump in his life line

bless him and the whole family

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Jul 18, 2008

i send out prayers to you and your family. i also send lots of hugs.. please keep us posted.

shelly304 · Jul 18, 2008

Many, many prayers to follow....

JohnnysGirl · Jul 18, 2008

I can empythize with you deeply. Your family has a rough road ahead, but it's good to remain positive. I would like to give you a bit of hope from a personal experience. I had A.L.L. a few months before graduating High School. It was found somewhat by accident as I woke in the middle of the night with severe back pain and was taken to the ER that night, and placed in the hospital till they found out what was wrong. The next day I had a Bone Marrow biopsy and Leukemia was confirmed. I was nervous but ignorant at the time of my diagnosis. Perhaps that is why I was able to get through it without too much fear. After a month on Chemotherapy I went into remission, as there was an 80% chance of remission at the time (1998). Chemotherapy went on for another 2.5 years, and there were tough years.

There are organizations and support groups that can help you and your family with what you are going through.

http://www.leukemia.org/hm_lls

http://www.leukemia-info.com/support.html

http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page?item_id=4591

Here are a few to get started. My mom got involved in some of these. There are volunteers who have gone through the same things that can talk to your nephew - sort of like a pen pal, but through the phone to answer his questions or for him to talk about his feelings about what he is going through to someone who has gone through it too.

From personal experience - after all was said and done and I was through with chemotherapy - I had a hard time acclimating myself into social gatherings or meeting new people. Going through something like this can leave a person feeling different, and alone. It's somthing that will stay with him and your family forever. I'm so sorry to hear this has happened. It's gonna be hard, but you will all get through it. Talking to someone who has gone through it too can be a great outlet for him to deal. I pray for your family to have courage and hope. Please stay positive. My thoughts are with you. Let me know if I can be of any help.

:heartbeat

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jul 18, 2008

As a mother, my heart is bleeding. Sending positive thoughts your way!

SunnyAndrsn · Jul 19, 2008

Thanks everyone, we have a type of leukemia: Chronic myelogenous leukemia. Any information (good or bad) would be appreciated.