In 2016, Syenna was a happy go lucky typical little girl. Or so it seemed. She played with littlest pet shop animals and snacked on her favorites like Hostess powdered donuts. She loved all 5 of her older siblings, especially her big brother Karson. Then , one day, everything changed in the blink of an eye. On October 11th , just two weeks after she turned 3, she had to be rushed to the er with small bruises popping up everywhere and barely the energy to stand up. She rode by ambulance, my mother at her side, and i drove behind. Walking into the room, i never expected the words id hear. We believe its cancer... Cancer?!! Shes THREE! HOW! WHY? All of the questions raced through my head. It wasnt fair! Over the next three days she went through testing, and all i could do was watch and comfort her as best i could. Then the offical news came. The doctor walked into the room and told us, " its leukemia" .... It was the most devastating moment of my life. And she had no idea what was to come. All she knew was she was away from home and in pain. Over the next three years, i watched her go through procedure after procedure , " its for her good," its part of the plan" .... words that came down like thunder . I didnt want this to be her plan. But she fought like the little Hero she is. Everyday, no matter what she faced , she faced it with a smile and the drive to get better. I wanted normal for her, but after something like this, normal doesnt exist. Life is NEVER the same again, but we make the best of it. On Febuary 3rd 2019, she finally finished treatment and got to ring the bell. The symbol that her journey with cancer was almost over. I say almost because, even now, 7 years later, She still battles ptsd from all the needles and surgeries, she still doesnt trust many adults, she still has anxiety about going to the doctor or to a hospital, we still occasionally deal with night terrors over what she experienced. There are so many things she still deals with on a daily, some of them physical. Ways that , even at 12 , make life difficult for her to live like a " normal" child her age. Shes a beautiful girl and im so greatful everyday that she beat that monster. But there will always be a reminder lurking in the background. For us "normal" isnt normal anymore. But as a 6th grader, she still feels its her job to raise awareness in the hopes that , someday, NO other child will have to endure all that she did. No other family will have to hear those words and that everyone will learn that pediatric cancer is NOT rare. It happens every 2 minutes to a child somewhere, and changes everything in their world. So this year, when you think about pediatric cancer, spread the word. Donate or share the link and info... We have to advocate for these children. They need us to speak up, donate, and share the information in hopes that maybe one day, cancer wont be a death sentence for someone just starting in life, our future.
