Liam's cancer journey unknowingly began at age 3. We noticed a bruise under his left arm that popped out of nowhere from one day to another. We took him to his pediatrician for an exam because at the same time we noticed the bruise, Liam started to complain about his arm hurting and he barely raise it up to his shoulders. We thought he might have somehow injured that area and have a fracture. We took him to 2 different hospitals for x-rays and both showed no signs of a fracture. Labs were taken and preliminary results showed no sign of cancer cells but did test positive for the Epstein Bar Virus or the "kissing disease". The ER department recommended to follow up with his pediatrician and we did. The results left her dumbfounded as much as it did us. She scheduled us for a follow up appointment the next month to check on his progress as the virus should go away on its own. So we waited, the symptoms only got worse. He started napping more often than usual and it was a constant struggle to get him to eat as is normal with kids his age. He started having nightly sweats along with constant headaches and that's when we noticed that he developed a lump on the left side of his neck. It started small and only noticeable in certain angles but it was there.
Over the course of 4 months, the lump considerably grew to the point where it was very noticeable. During these 4 months, it was constant doctor visits with his pediatrician until we were able to secure an appointment with an infectious disease specialist. During this time, Liam had A LOT of blood work done for child that just turned 4 years old. The specialist ordered labs for everything that he could think of within the scope of Liam's symptoms and previous blood work before we started seeing him. After the first set of lab work came back clear he told us that we might have a conversation about cancer being a possibility depending on the next set of lab work. He just wanted to give us a heads up. We had to put a pause on the next set of blood work because Liam got sick and that would alter lab results. So we waited but within that time frame Liam started limping during lunch time on a Friday and we noticed a lump on the left side of his pelvic area. We called the specialist's office for advice and were given an appointment to go in on Monday for an evaluation. We didn't make that appointment. Saturday morning, Liam's limping got worse and we immediately took him to the ER. He was immediately admitted and more profound blood work was ordered.
From there, everything spiraled. Cancer was now part of our vocabulary and fear took a hold. Within that week at the hospital, Liam got moved to the oncology floor, his IV had to be repositioned 4 times, a biopsy of his lump was ordered along with a lumbar puncture and bone marrow biopsy. Now it was a waiting period for the biopsies to happen and results to come. During the time he was under anesthesia for all 3 biopsies, a PICC line was inserted into Liam's left arm. The PICC line would serve as his IV and chemo port. Now as a first time mom, I had to learn terms and procedures that no mom of a child should have to know. I had to learn how to care for a child with cancer, how to clean, flush, and maintain his PICC line clear everyday, administer his daily medication that included 4 different types of meds at varying times. I became a personal nurse for my son.
Results came back and he was officially diagnosed with Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma of multiples regions Stage 3. CT scans showed swollen lymph nodes on both sides of his neck, his chest area, and his pelvic area. After diagnosis, Liam under went 10 days of steroids and it was one of the toughest times for us as parents but more for Liam as his mood would change constantly. His first round of chemo was tough but he pulled through and after a month in the hospital, we were able to go home before his next round of chemo. He had 6 rounds of chemotherapy and it was the longest 6 months of our lives. The up and downs of his health, the symptoms, side effects, weekly oncology appointments that were 2x per week, and CBC counts 2x a week, etc, etc... TBC.
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