Chase Olson Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at only 16 months of age. Our lives were changed forever. His Chemotherapy lasted more than 3 years, consisting of drugs, needles, spinal taps, blood transfusions, bone marrow draws, hospitalizations, feeding issues, and many other side effects. Because Chase's body didn't respond quickly to his first 15 days of Chemo, his prognosis dropped by 10% and his treatment was more aggressive in the first year. He was the bravest little boy during all of his treatments and procedures, always with a smile on his face. Chase's last dose of Chemo was given in April of 2010. He then had some complications with his port removal surgery, but he overcame those as well.
Chase is a happy boy and is loved by his family and many friends. His innocence is a blessing, as he does not know what he has or how frightening CANCER really is. He is 6 years old now and goes to Transitional First Grade! We do still feel the effects of his cancer treatment, though. He has trouble with short-term memory which can sometimes interfere with learning. This is a result of the many times he got chemo into the spinal fluid, which then surrounds the brain. On March 15th he will get both legs casted for 6 weeks to correct tight heel cords that was caused by one of the chemo drugs. He still goes to the Oncologist every two months for blood work and a physical exam. If he remains cancer-free for 3 more years, he will be considered "cured." We have faith that our Chase will BEAT this!
