Honored Kid

Tj M.

Age 12
Tj M. Kid Photo

Location

Edgewater, MD, US

Diagnosis

Rhabdomyosarcoma

Date of Diagnosis

September 2014

Status

In treatment

Treated At

Johns Hopkins Children's Center

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My Story

Tj was your average 2 year old boy. Full of life, laughter & energy. Always keeping us on our toes. On the outside he looked as healthy as could be. Our life seemed perfect. We had a wonderful 2 year old boy and just welcomed a baby girl in May 2014.  On August 18, 2014 I noticed something didn't look right with Tjs left testicle. Long story short- Tj was diagnosed with a hernia and on September 11, 2014 he was scheduled to have a hernia repair done at Johns Hopkins. For some reason though I just didn't feel right about his diagnosis. Call it a mothers intuition but I knew there was something more. The surgery was set to take two hours. Within a half hour the doctor came into the waiting room. My heart sank- we knew something was wrong. The doctor took us into a small room and told us they found a mass not a hernia. He showed us a picture and asked if he could biopsy it. Of course, we said yes. At that time the doctor told us he didn't believe it was cancer because the chance was so low. In about an hour the doctor had the results. He sat us down in a small room and in my gut I already knew what he was going to say- he said 'One of the best pathologists in the world reviewed your son's pathology and he has cancer- Rhabdomyosarcoma.' Everything went in slow motion like a movie. I was shaking and crying. Every terrible thought you could imagine went through my mind and I just sat there sobbing saying "My son has cancer- he is going to die!" Rhabdomyosarcoma- a name I swore I would never be able to pronounce or spell- by that night I could do both and tell you everything about Rhabdomyosarcoma. After surgeries, testing, biopsy and port placement we were on our way to a 24 week chemotherapy protocol. Everything happened so fast. In seconds our life changed forever with being told our son had cancer. This journey is hard- the hardest thing I have ever had to face, as a parent you experience every emotion you can imagine. Watching your child fight for their life is something that you cannot describe with words. It's a pain I never want other families to experience. Please make a donation today- help find a cure for childhood cancer. Facebook: Prayers for Tj Mauck Donate to Tj: http://www.gofundme.com/ejlq0c

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