Kids with Cancer

Fighting childhood cancer in more ways than one

by St. Baldrick's Foundation
September 4, 2012
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On September 14, 2009, our 7-year-old son Grant was diagnosed with t-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Five days before he was diagnosed, we watched Grant run around, playing like any other child. Suddenly, however, he’d stop playing because he felt sick and would proceed to vomit.

He did this every few minutes that day and we figured he just had a stomach bug. That weekend, his nose started bleeding. It would bleed for a minute or two, then stop, then bleed again. We thought, “Well, he’s always had allergies. It must be that.”

Although we didn’t think it was anything serious, we set up an appointment with his doctor for Monday morning. My husband, Michael, took Grant to his appointment where they ran some blood work and said to call back in an hour or so.

To pass the time, Michael took Grant and our youngest daughter, Elayna, to lunch. At the restaurant, Grant got sick again and they went back home. I rushed to find Grant’s nose bleeding unstoppably. Michael called the doctor’s office but they were out to lunch. Grant’s nose bleed was now getting worse and he began to vomit blood.

We rushed Grant to Brenner’s Children’s Hospital where it only took a few minutes to get the news that no parent ever wants to hear. Grant had cancer. We were devastated.

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Grant has been through so much in the past three years, but has shown the kind of strength and courage you hardly see in most adults, let alone children. He has had his ups and downs because of treatment, but is now in remission and we hope that’s the way it stays. He only has a few months left of chemotherapy treatments, and after three very long years, we are very optimistic that he will remain cancer free (fingers crossed).

Grant is such a caring young man that, through it all, he has continually talked about doing things for other families with kids with cancer. Inspired to help and comfort others, one of his projects includes collecting and donating small toys for the toy bin at his hospital, sharing his collection with the other children who are being treated. Since being diagnosed, he has also done everything in his power to raise money for research, already having raised $2,000 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

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We know we have a long way to go, but Grant is determined to raise money until a cure is found, declaring to find the cure himself if he needs to when he gets older! And he just may, because I know that when Grant focuses on something, his focus doesn’t stray until he finds what he’s looking for.

Read more Childhood Cancer Awareness Month stories or get involved with a St. Baldrick’s event near you!


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