Finding Joy through Life's Trials
My heart is hurting today. Truth be told, it’s hurt a lot off and on for several months. The past few days I’ve been especially down, though. The reason why is a one-word answer, and I bet you can guess it. Yep… Cancer. In our …
I know. I know you’ve already seen too many ideas for non-profits to donate to this week to count. I know it’s right before Christmas, and odds are good that your own finances are stretched tighter than you’d like. However, I also know firsthand how …
For fall break we rented a cute cabin via Airbnb in the Smoky Mountains and had a great time rediscovering Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge and exploring with my parents. It was everything we’d hoped it would be! We loved the cabin—so much so that Logan still calls it “our cabin”. It was capacious, clean, and surrounded by beauty. It had a fun theater room complete with comfy recliners AND a hot tub! Lincoln loved rocking on the decks surrounded by trees. Logan was thoroughly disappointed when we told him we had to come back home. He thought we’d moved there. 😂 (LMK if you’d like the details for this rental!)
We started off our first full day in the Smokies by grabbing breakfast at Crockett’s Breakfast Camp in Gatlinburg. We all agreed that it was DELICIOUS!!! Gatlinburg is apparently known for having fantastic breakfast joints, so we had a lot of options. Crockett’s not only had great reviews and yummy-looking dishes, but it also had a virtual queue we could join before we physically got there! That always gets bonus points in my book. I wish more restaurants did that.
The ambience inside was charming and spacious, and the food was just as delectable as we were hoping it would be. We were all STUFFED by the end, though! Their country ham, in particular, was a unique and delicious side. Josh got their giant cinnamon roll for all of us to share, and we had to bring the whole thing back to our Airbnb because none of us had room for another bite. It was still scrumptious when we reheated it the next day.
Just a note… When they say their griddle cakes (definitely not plain ol’ pancakes) are thick, believe them! LOL
The whole reason we went to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge over fall break was because that area has A LOT of attractions we could get into for free through November (thanks to Lincoln’s Give Kids the World Passport). Even before we went on his wish trip to Florida last year, I was hoping we could take advantage of the passport in Tennessee this year. My plan panned out!
The attraction our boys were most excited about was Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. The adults weren’t expecting it to be so cool! It was huge, had lots of interactive activities for kids, and had an awesome moving walkway where fish and sharks swam overhead. We especially liked seeing a sawfish up close, which none of us had ever seen in person before. It honestly might be the best aquarium we’ve been to, and we’ve gone to several!
That night we got takeout from the AMAZING Delauder’s BBQ for dinner. “Delicious” doesn’t even come close to how good it was. These pictures aren’t great because it was takeout, but don’t let that fool you. My mom, dad, and I all got their Smoky Mountain Potato, which is a baked potato topped with slow cooked pork, baked beans, nacho cheese, and sour cream. Yuuuuuummmmmy!!! Everything I tried was good—Smoky Mountain Nachos, Fried Mac ‘n Cheese, Green Beans, and Potato Salad.
I read a lot about Bennett’s Pit Bar-B-Que before going on the trip. I hadn’t read about Delauder’s anywhere, but it actually has better (though fewer) reviews. I’m so glad we tried it! Just be aware that—at least when we went—it was cash only.
When my family went for a drive on the beautiful Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail the next morning, they spotted SIX BLACK BEARS!!! The drive was super busy (as it often is at this time of year), but it was worth it.
After the drive we ate at another great restaurant: the New Orleans Sandwich Company. Josh had wanted to get their food the last time we went to Gatlinburg, but we’d wanted takeout, and they don’t (or at least didn’t) do takeout orders. Their food was delicious! I tried several of their sides—including their flavorful crab cakes, and Josh got their gumbo.
After lunch we spent several hours shopping and doing different activities we got into for free (again, with Link’s GKTW passport) along main street. Our favorite was probably Ripley’s Believe It or Not Odditorium. We also went through a mirror maze, and Josh took Logan to the 5D Moving Theater. Logan really wanted to do Ripley’s Haunted Adventure, but we read and were told by the workers that it’d probably be too scary for him.
The next day of our trip was epic. Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m a huge “Titaniac” (a term I learned on this trip that’s short for “Titanic Maniac” 😊). Honestly, the very first thing that made me interested in a trip to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg was when I learned about Pigeon Forge’s huge Titanic attraction/museum. We didn’t go last time because we were still scared of Covid, but we got to go this time! And it was free!!! And it was AMAZING!!!!!!!
Before you enter the museum, you get a “boarding ticket” with the name and details of an actual passenger on the doomed ocean liner. At the end, you find out whether or not the person on your ticket was one of the lucky survivors. Out of the six of us, only my poor dad in steerage didn’t survive. Josh’s ticket was for Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon! Lincoln’s ticket was for the cute boy spinning his top in the famous photograph.
I was a bit worried that our boys would be bored, but they weren’t at all. The museum has tons of hands-on activities to keep kids interested as well as kid-specific recordings for the self-guided audio tour. Logan was actually fascinated and has talked about it several times since we went, which—of course—makes me happy. LOL
Another thing I loved about the museum is that it was great at spreading awareness for different needs. Since we went in October, they had several pink ribbons in different areas for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. (I’m going to contact someone to see if they’d be willing to do gold ribbons in September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. 😊 Join me! If they get enough requests, they might do it!)
They also had an awesome video about the boy who built the World’s Largest Titanic model—a MASSIVE Titanic model built using 56,000 Lego bricks! It’s on display at the museum, and the amount of detail and work that went into it is awe-inspiring. The boy who built it has autism, and the video was about not only his work but also about autism awareness and inclusion. I loved it so much!
After the Titanic Museum, we grabbed lunch at The Old Mill Restaurant. We had about a half hour wait after they put my name on the list, but the time passed quickly. They have a bunch of things you can look at while waiting. They even have speakers outside and in the General Store next door so you can be sure not to miss it when they call your name.
Josh got chicken and dumplings, and I got their meatloaf and green beans. Their hush puppies were REALLY good. In fact, Lincoln couldn’t get enough of them! Not only was all of the food scrummy, but the restaurant had also thought of everything for making their building accessible. They had a big ramp up to the entrance. They also had a wheelchair lift to help us move Lincoln to another level, and they obviously use it all the time because the process was quick and streamlined.
After we ate, we walked around enjoying the other shops. We also had to try the ice cream at the Old Mill Creamery. I’m still drooling over their creamy peanut butter ice cream. 😉 🤤
We spent our last morning in Gatlinburg riding the tram up to Ober Mountain. The pictures do NOT do it justice! The fall colors were breathtaking, and we all had a wonderful time. They had a carousel, a small zoo, an alpine slide, and so much more.
Dollywood was the last attraction we visited before leaving early the next morning. I literally had only one thing on my Dollywood bucket list: eat the famous cinnamon bread. It lived up to the hype! Everything else at Dollywood was great, too.
We knew we simply had to go there—especially because I listened to and really enjoyed Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics earlier this year. We’re in a bit of an amusement park wasteland here in Utah—and Lagoon knows it. They have the monopoly on the market. They charge more than Dollywood, and it’s not nearly as cool. Ah, well…
We all loved Dollywood! It was so charming. The harvest decorations everywhere were wonderful, and we chose the perfect day—temperature- and crowd-wise—to go. I rode on a few rides, but I’m getting older and less and less adventurous. Our little thrillseeker, Lincoln, on the other hand, was more than happy to accompany Josh on any rollercoaster he was tall enough for! He LOOOOOOVES rollercoasters, and it’s so cute to see how excited he gets. Logan was more like me—more interested in the food. 😂
None of the six of us could pick our favorite part of the trip; the whole thing was wonderful. There’s a reason Gatlinburg attracts a lot of tourists—especially in the fall. I highly recommend you plan a trip there. I know we’re sure to go back ourselves.
We were fortunate enough to go to St. Simons Island (SSI), Georgia for the second time this past June! If you’ve been following us for awhile, you might remember that in July of 2022, we attended a family retreat on SSI with Blue Skies Ministries. …
When I was two and three years old, I often excitedly ran up the sidewalk and front steps to a red brick, 1950s bungalow as my mom gathered things from our car. Even though I went there at least a couple of times a week …
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I worked on a different blog post about childhood cancer for several weeks in September, but it was honestly really hard. I bounced around working on one blog post after another, trying to get up the motivation to complete the original post that centers on the harsh realities of childhood cancer. Living through the fight is unimaginably painful, but the fight doesn’t end when your kid reaches end-of-treatment. Just like every other parent who’s walked the childhood cancer road, I got battle scars—scars that I often don’t want to look at.
When I was about halfway through writing the original article, I was, yet again, finding it difficult to tackle my important Childhood Cancer Awareness Month blog post. Avoidance is, unfortunately, my go-to defense mechanism. Anyone notice that my last published post was back in AUGUST?! If you didn’t, lucky you. Personally, I think I thought about it every single day between September 1st and today. Once you become a childhood cancer mom, you quickly feel the responsibility of spreading awareness that our children deserve so much more! I deeply felt that duty last month, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to finish an article. The responsibility—even though I know it’s far from all mine—felt crushing. And, truth be told, I was grieving the fact that my life led me to be in the childhood cancer world to feel such responsibility in the first place.
As I tried to force myself to write, I had the realization that it is OK if I’m not ready to finish that original blog article yet. I decided to give myself grace, and I started writing this article instead. Its focus is on a topic I naturally find much easier to talk and write about: gratitude.
I WILL publish my other post on childhood cancer someday. I 100% feel it’s my duty and calling to spread awareness and support for our warrior children. If you take a look at the title of my blog, though, it should come as no surprise that I chose to have this blog post revolve around all of the silver linings my family and I have been gifted with because of Lincoln’s cancer diagnosis.
I always try to focus on the positives. There are too many horrendous negatives that come with childhood cancer, and I WILL address them in several future posts. Today, though, I’m giving myself more time. In doing so, I sincerely hope that I can comfort the families living through the Hellish nightmare that is childhood cancer and also provide others with some ideas of how they can help.
Here is a list of 25 blessings and gifts my family has received as a result of Link’s leukemia diagnosis:
I believe this was the first organization I signed Lincoln up for after he was diagnosed. Each month for a year they send the cancer cutie (and his/her siblings) a plastic jar filled with little gifts. The gifts range from stuffed animals to card decks to light up toys to rubber duckies to whoopee cushions. They also send extra things, such as blankets and pillows cases, for birthdays. Our boys loved getting the jars.
Lincoln received his superhero cape shortly after his diagnosis. Josh’s sister surprised us by applying for Link to get one. This is an easy, kind way you can help a newly-diagnosed kiddo. The cape is such a fun thing for Lincoln. He had one hospital stay when her wouldn’t let me take it off him! 😂 It’s also a very fitting gift; these kids truly are superheroes!
This is such a wonderful non-profit. Sadie Keller is a childhood cancer survivor. She started this foundation because she “believes that we must band together to fight and end childhood cancer”. One element of her foundation is that it provides children going through cancer with a big “Milestone Gift” (of his/her choice within a certain dollar amount). We got Lincoln a ride-on Jeep! He and Logan both LOOOVE it.
https://sadiekellerfoundation.org/
This non-profit was started in honor of another childhood cancer survivor, Baxley. They provide childhood cancer families with wagons filled with goodies. You have to go back and forth from the hospital—loaded down with lots of stuff—when your kid is in treatment. Cancer kiddos also often don’t have the energy and/or stamina to walk on their own. The wagons from HYP help with both things! I can’t tell you how many times we’ve used and been grateful for this gift since we got it.
This is such a creative idea. When kids go through cancer treatments, they understandably miss a lot of school. As a result, it can leave them feeling even more lonely and disconnected from their peers. This organization provides an adorable stuffed animal monkey that the cancer cutie’s teacher can put at his/her desk whenever he/she is absent. It’s a fun way for everyone in the class to stay connected.
http://www.monkeyinmychair.org/
Quinton Muir is a childhood cancer angel who loved Ironman. His amazing family set up this foundation in his honor. They provide care packages, Christmas boxes, and scholarships to kids battling cancer. We received a huge package containing a beautiful handmade quilt and lots of other toys for Lincoln and Logan the first Christmas Link was in treatment.
Hayes is another childhood cancer angel. We feel especially close to his family’s story because he was a triplet. His beautiful parents created this organization to provide “financial support and hope to families affected by childhood cancer”. We couldn’t believe their generosity when we opened up the box from them!
You’ve heard me talk ad nauseum about this incredible organization. This weeklong, beachside retreat with other families living through childhood cancer forever changed us. PLEASE apply to attend ones of their retreats if your child is going through treatment or has recently reached end-of-treatment. Recommend it to your friends! You won’t regret it.
https://www.lighthousefamilyretreat.org/
Again, I’ve written about this wonderful experience before, but I can’t recommend it enough! We made lifelong friends and memories on this amazing vacation. While with LFR, I believe your child has to be in treatment or just off treatment within the past year, with Blue Skies, I believe your child has to be in treatment or just barely off treatment (as in within a month or two).
https://www.blueskiesministries.org/
This was our second year attending the Wacky Warriors tournament. The organization was founded by another childhood cancer angel, Nick Raiit, before he passed away, and his family has kept it going. Each September they hold a girls’ softball tournament, and each team represents a local childhood cancer warrior, angel, or survivor. We’ve been utterly spoiled each year! Everyone goes out of their way to honor our warriors and families.
https://www.wackywarriors.org/2022-softball-tournament
Yet another fantastic local organization, Camp Hobe offers summer camps in Utah “for children being treated for cancer and similarly-treated disorders and their families”. This past summer my boys went to their first day camp there, and they LOVED it!! So did I; I got several hours of time to myself! 😉 Once my boys are seven, they’ll be eligible to attend one of Camp Hobe’s overnight camps.
This is a fundraiser in Utah that’s put on every September or October to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Kids have the chance to operate real construction machinery, get their faces painted, play games, get some swag, etc. Since Link was diagnosed just a tad before Covid, this was the first time we attended in person. Our boys loved it!
The Mascot Miracles Foundation is amazing. Throughout the year they put on several events for kids who spend much of their lives in hospitals. We’ve only been able to attend one virtual event (filmed at an aquarium) and one in-person event (at Cowabunga Bay) so far, but we plan on going to many more in the future.
We have so many phenomenal people in Link’s Army. A couple of days before Easter in 2020, one of my friends contacted me because she had a once-in-a-lifetime surprise for us. Her husband had nominated us to have Alex Boyé come serenade us in a private, “Quarantine Concert” in our front yard! (Remember, this was the early days of the pandemic.) Alex came with a few of his kids, set up a modest sound system, and sang to us in our driveway for over an hour. He was utterly amazing—both as an artist and as a person. Friends from around our neighborhood came and watched while keeping their distance. It was an experience we’ll never, ever forget.
This is the big one. Pretty much everyone’s heard of this non-profit organization and how it helps brighten the lives of children with critical illnesses. Now that our family is directly working with Utah’s chapter, I can attest to the fact that they truly are incredible. A couple of weeks ago we got the news that Lincoln’s wish has been granted! In November we’ll be heading to Orlando for Disney World and Universal Studios and staying at the incredible Give Kids the World Village!!!! 🤗
We have been absolutely blown away by people’s generosity since Lincoln was diagnosed. We have been given a few thousand dollars over the past three years. Money has rolled in from family, friends, coworkers, former co-workers, former classmates, organizations, strangers, etc. Believe me, we don’t take it for granted! We feel overwhelmingly blessed with finances and insurance thanks to the jobs Josh has held. Even so, it is ALWAYS expensive to have a child go through cancer. Hidden bills and fees seem to show up all the time; I’ve come to dread getting the mail because there’s almost always a medical bill and/or something I have to do with insurance. Things would have been so much more stressful without everyone’s help, though. If you’re ever wondering what you can do to help a family going through cancer, money is always appreciated. 💛
I’ve mentioned before that I’m part of a one-of-a-kind Facebook group for Utah moms whose kids are going through/have gone through cancer. The caliber of women I’ve met through this group can’t be overstated. They are truly awe-inspiring. One of the beautiful things they did for our family was raise funds to gift us an iPad and an overflowing basket of goodies. Kiddos going through cancer treatment spend innumerable hours in hospitals and at appointments, and their siblings are often stuck at home (ESPECIALLY in this post-Covid world), so having plenty of entertainment (books, puzzles, stuffed animals, toys, games, coloring books, stickers, etc.) is a must. In case you can’t tell from their smiling faces in the picture above, Lincoln and Logan LOVED this amazing gift.
As you can imagine, you don’t have much spare time when you’re dealing with cancer. We appreciated anything that could simplify our days. We were blessed time and time (& time) again with family, friends, and neighbors who brought us meals. We received frozen meals and hot meals with equal gratitude. We also loved getting gift cards to restaurants—especially to fast food joints for those particularly crazy days. Gift cards for gas were lifesavers with all of the trips to and from the hospital. You might think giving these things is “boring” or uninspired, but I promise you that they’re one of the first things almost ALL families going through cancer treatments say they need.
When people are trying to think of families that could use a little boost in spirits, they understandably tend to think of families dealing with cancer. I know I did before Link was diagnosed, and I definitely do now! As a result, MANY people have given us surprises throughout the past 3-1/2 years. We got THREE outdoor playsets/toys people were getting rid of. We got an AMAZING, one-of-a-kind, custom-built swing from Josh’s stepdad. We got a custom-made canvas print of our boys. We got homemade quilts. And so much more!! At times we’ve felt guilty for all of the incredible things people have offered. However, at one point my wise friend told me that people wouldn’t offer if they didn’t want to give us something, and by turning a gift down, we weren’t allowing those people to serve and bless us. OK, fine… We’ll gladly let people receive blessings for blessing us. 😘
As simple as it is, it always brightened our day when we discovered loving artwork and messages on our driveway and/or front door. I’ve said this before already, but you don’t need to reinvent the wheel to make someone smile! These are tried and true ways to lift someone’s spirits.
Oh, the wonderful discounts… 😂 Like I’ve said before, the cost of admission to the cancer club is WAY too high. But… We didn’t complain when it balanced out a teensy bit when companies offered us discounts after learning about Lincoln. Lower cost for sprinkler repair? Yes, please!!!
You know the popular question along the lines of, “If you could have a maid, a personal chef, or a nanny for the rest of your life, which would you choose?” My answer is always the same: A MAID!!!! ALWAYS a maid! I love having a clean house. However, it is an ongoing struggle for me to ever want to clean. My ADHD certainly doesn’t help. Neither did Link’s cancer diagnosis. A few times throughout his treatment, we had wonderful friends come over to clean our house and/or do some laundry. My mom, who stayed with us and helped us more than I could have ever wished for, was a LIFESAVER in this department, as well. If you’re wondering what you can do to help a family going through a medical trial, offer to clean their house. Or offer to pay for a maid to clean for them (just one time or as an ongoing thing for awhile). Seriously. They may be hesitant to say yes at first, but ask them if it would honestly help. If they admit that it would (and I don’t know a single cancer mom who honestly would never appreciate it), tell them there is 100% no judgment in it, that you want to help, and you’re going to help.
One of my favorite funny memes says, “I don’t think of myself as having a ‘grey’ thumb; I’m more of a plant hospice worker, easing the transition so plants can go to Jesus”. 😂🙋🤦 Yep. That’s me. While I would love to love gardening like my mom does, that hasn’t happened yet in my life. Josh and I REALLY struggle with getting out and doing yardwork. We don’t want to have the worst yard on the block, but more often than not, it’s a contender. During Lincoln’s treatment…?? Forget about it. When people offered to come mow our lawn, weed whack, pull weeds, etc., we were SO GRATEFUL!!!! The same can be said for when people removed snow from our driveway/sidewalks in the winter. Angels—all of them.
This gift is truly priceless. I will never be able to fully communicate how grateful I am for the tribe we fell into that makes this difficult road so much more bearable. We’ve made friends through Facebook groups, family retreats, and many other avenues. We would have been lost without them.
OK. This is mostly a joke, but in reality we DID use Lincoln having cancer as an excuse to get out of speeding tickets…twice. 😂 Neither Josh not I get pulled over often. It just so happened that we got pulled over TWICE in 2020 when we were going on car rides to get out of the house. It happened early on when Lincoln was pretty miserable. We’d drive through neighborhoods for a change of scenery, and a couple of times we didn’t notice speed limit changes. It didn’t take much explaining—basically just a glance at our sweet boy’s bald head—before the cops let us off.
Oh my goodness… The amount of prayers offered on Lincoln’s behalf—and for our whole family, actually—is innumerable. We’ve been surrounded by good vibes sent from everyone for years. If you even offered one prayer for us, THANK YOU. We felt them, and they helped.
*Denotes local (to/near Utah) organizations
This is most definitely NOT an exhaustive list of everything we’ve received and been blessed with. I know I’ve forgotten some things. It should give you a good idea of why Josh and I are so grateful, though. We’ve been given a lot. Josh and I frequently say that the price of admission into this cancer club is FAR too high, yet we wouldn’t have received any of these beautiful things without joining.
If you know someone whose child has been diagnosed with cancer, please refer to this list for ideas of how you can help! Refer those families to this list so they can sign up for the amazing programs and help available! And whether or not you know a family struggling with childhood cancer, please consider donating to one of the MANY non-profits that help provide hope to families going through some very, very dark days.
What Vacation?! You know the good ol’ saying, “I need a vacation from my vacation!”? Yeah. I definitely needed one after our trip to Georgia. We’ve been home for a whole month, but I came home with a horrible cold that refused to leave me …
Prelude Have you ever thought about what songs would be included on the soundtrack if your life were a movie? I have! In fact, when I was a teenager daydreaming about being the heroine of my own romantic movie, I thought about it a lot. …
We’ve all heard the phrase “every parent’s worst nightmare”. It’s often spoken in hushed disbelief surrounding moments of trauma. Every parent fears ever being told that their child has cancer. It’s a fear we all have, but no one ever expects it to actually happen to them. I didn’t, either…until it did.
Did you know that your child is MUCH more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than he/she is to win the lottery? It’s true. Odds of winning one of the most popular lotteries in the U.S. are 1 in 176 MILLION. However, one out of every 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer before they turn 20.
Since our boys were born at 23 weeks, 6 days gestation, we’d already had our fair share of difficult medical conversations before Lincoln was diagnosed. We were frequent visitors to practically every department at the children’s specialty hospital. Ironically, anytime we were at the hospital going through something difficult, Josh and I would walk past the Oncology department and think—or sometimes say out loud, “Things could always be worse!” Even so, we never expected to be told one of our boys had leukemia.
Here is my Facebook post where I announced to our friends and family that Lincoln had cancer:
“They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but here are a whole bunch more:
To say the past few days haven’t gone as planned for us would be the understatement of the century. Josh and I had a couples’ massage date all booked for yesterday to help us relieve some stress. Instead of going on that date, we found ourselves back at Primary Children’s Hospital with Lincoln. The short version of the story is that Lincoln has been diagnosed with leukemia.
If you’re reading this news for the first time, then you probably feel a lot like we did at first…utterly and completely shocked. It had been a long month and a half for us, with Lincoln on his third antibiotic to clear up ear infections. He’d been miserable, we’d all lost a LOT of sleep, and things still didn’t seem to be greatly improving. He also had a sore on his bum that was getting worse. The boys had their three-year wellness exams scheduled for Thursday, so we were looking forward to hopefully getting Link’s sore taken care of and having him finally be on the mend. After looking at Link’s bad abscess and seeing how miserable and pale he was, our pediatrician thought it’d be best for the surgical team at Primary Children’s to take a look at him. Josh and I weren’t surprised by that, especially considering Link’s complicated history and how bad the abscess was.
Hindsight is 20/20, and we see all of the signs clearly now, but cancer wasn’t even on our radar when we checked in to the ER. We were worried about Lincoln’s pain, fevers, and especially possible sepsis. Then the doctor blindsided us by telling us that his bloodwork showed several red flags consistent with leukemia. More tests confirmed our worst nightmare.
We found out what type of leukemia he has yesterday. He’s been diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). It’s the most common type of childhood cancer. It’s the “best” diagnosis out of several bad ones; it’s still cancer, after all. Depending on some more factors we’ll find out over the next month, the survival rate is anywhere from 88-98%. Right now, Link’s considered a “Standard Risk” patient.
Since we got up to our Oncology room, Lincoln’s received two blood transfusions and three platelet transfusions. They’re going to be taking him into surgery any minute to place a port, get an echo, and do a lumbar puncture. The surgery will take about two hours; then it usually takes him awhile to wake up and get back to the room. Then he’ll start chemo later today. His treatment plan will last for about 2-1/2 years.
TL;DR: Lincoln has cancer. This sucks. Life isn’t fair. BUT Lincoln is strong. He’s the strongest little dude we’ve ever met. The Lord is on our side, and we have faith that things will go well. Please pray for us. ❤️🙏❤️”
I posted that on January 25, 2020—two days after Josh and I had been told that Lincoln had cancer. Almost as shocking as it was to hear his diagnosis, sometimes it’s hard to believe that Lincoln is now 100% done with his treatment! We got through it! We all survived! When you hear that your child is going to be going through treatment and getting chemotherapy for OVER TWO YEARS, it’s hard not to feel defeated just as the fight is beginning. However, with faith, perseverance, and patience, eventually we stepped out of the dark and into the light again.
I’ve always felt a strong pull towards trying to help people. Now that I’ve been through “every parent’s worst nightmare”, I simply HAVE to try to help other parents who are still in the trenches. I HAVE to spread awareness and advocate for these precious children who deserve so much more.
One thing Josh and I learned is that even though ALL is the most common type of childhood cancer, it’s still very rare. Most pediatricians only encounter a child being diagnosed with cancer 1-3 times in their entire career. This means that even if you have an excellent pediatrician (which we did/do), it’s unlikely that he/she has a lot of experience witnessing the signs of leukemia. That’s why it’s so important for YOU to know the signs of childhood cancer.
Every child is different and manifests different symptoms in varying degrees, but here are some common signs and symptoms of childhood leukemia: - Fatigue* - Weakness* - Feeling cold - Feeling dizzy or lightheaded - Shortness of breath - Paler skin* - Infections* - Fever* - Easy bruising and bleeding - Petechia (tiny red spots on the skin)* - Frequent or severe nosebleeds - Bleeding gums - Bone or joint pain, especially in the legs - Swelling of the abdomen - Loss of appetite and weight loss* - Swollen lymph nodes* - Coughing or trouble breathing - Swelling of the face and arms - Headaches, seizures, vomiting* - Rashes or gum problems *Denotes symptoms that Lincoln had prior to his diagnosis (He probably had more than these, but since he was/is mostly nonverbal, these are the only ones we KNOW he had.)
I don’t want to be an alarmist. MOST of the time if your child is experiencing some of these symptoms, it’s NOT because he/she has cancer. However, if he/she has several of these symptoms for a prolonged period of time—especially if you “just feel that something’s off” or “just have a gut feeling”—take your child to the hospital. Insist that they get a Complete Blood Count (CBC). Follow your gut.
Words will never be able to describe our gratitude for Lincoln reaching remission and having such a favorable survival prognosis. Though this childhood cancer “club” isn’t one I’d want for anyone, if you’ve found this blog because your child was recently diagnosed, know that you’re not alone. Know that others have walked the same path and come out victorious on the other side. Know that the next several years of your life will be some of the hardest of your life, but also know that you WILL also experience moments of profound gratitude. You’ll see the good in people. You’ll meet some of the most amazing people on this earth. You’ll feel more love than you probably ever have before. You’ll witness miracles.
