Anna had a PET scan this past week, as did her friend Kayla. The two outcomes were completely different. How do parents cope?
If I haven't updated my readers on Anna's current situation, it's only been because we have been so busy figuring out what her situation is. Her Cancer recurred immediately after the end of her first year of treatment, and we had to go back on chemotherapy in the form of an antibody specifically targeted toward lymphoma. We are waiting for news on a donor for a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant. We are ready and prepared to spend three months away from home to get that done and finally, finally feel like she's going to be better. To be able to move forward with the transplant, she had to be back in remission, seen clearly on a PET scan.
To tell the rest of this story I need to back up and tell you that when she was first diagnosed, we met a lovely girl named Kayla who went to the same clinic for treatment. Kayla has a completely different type of cancer called neuroblastoma. This is a cancer that is most common in very young children but happened to grow in Kayla even though she is a young adult at 18-19. I spoke with Kayla's mom and we became facebook friends. We talked about the trials of having a child with cancer, and Kayla was able to express to me what chemotherapy was like for her as Anna can't do that with her special needs. I knew keeping up with them through facebook that the trials Kayla faced with neuroblastoma seemed much more daunting than what we faced with lymphoma. Cancer is deadly no matter what type it is, but some types are just easier to treat than others.
This past week we completed Anna's PET scan. It was hard to do. Anesthesia always makes me nervous. Seeing my baby strapped to a table moving through a huge machine is hard for me. Helping her come off the loopy-loo phase when she wakes up is comical and also unnerving. There's nothing fun about a PET scan. Yet, when we got the results they were the most beautiful words I'd seen in print...maybe ever. They read, "Currently there is no PET/CT evidence of disease." She's clear. My baby currently has no cancer in her body. We can move forward with the transplant and know we have a real chance of beating this thing for good.
Kayla also had a PET scan this past week. Her news was not as good. New cancer had grown during the treatment. Her doctors told her that at this point there is not much chance of ever beating it, but the new course of action is to keep it at bay as long as possible. I can't imagine getting that kind of news. It's just as possible for us as it is for any other cancer patient. Yet, my news is thrilling and people we've shared this experience with got horrible news. I don't know how to feel. I'm not giving up on Kayla. I'm continuing to pray for her and hope and believe. I also feel guilty. I know I have no reason to but I guess its a human emotion, a natural reaction.
How do parents cope? I have no idea. I was hoping you did. The only thing I can ask of you if this story has stirred your heart is to give to PEDIATRIC cancer research. Not Susan G. Komen, though that is a worthy cause. Not The American Cancer Society, though that is another worthy cause. Those are for specific types of cancer that have nothing to do with these kids. For Anna, it's the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There is also a Neuroblastoma society. Either way, find a cancer society for children, so that kids like Anna can keep getting great news and young adults like Kayla can get better news than she got. There are new treatments discovered every day (the antibody that put Anna in remission is new). We need help for science to continue to find them.
Thanks for reading. If you are praying person, please pray for Kayla and for Anna. Be blessed.
(photo source)
