Kyle
Kyle’s Krusade began on May 3, 2010 when he was diagnosed with Leukemia.
Up until then, Kyle was a happy, healthy, & energetic 4 year old. It started with a cold that came & went for about 2 weeks. Thursday, we went to the pediatrician & he was prescribed an antibiotic for a sinus infection. After 2 days, Kyle had stomach pain. Sun a.m. we took him to T. O. Pediatric Urgent Care. Dr. said it was stomach flu even though he did not have diarrhea or vomiting, just low grade fever. That night, Kyle still had stomach pains. 12:30 am Mon I took him to Los Robles ER & he was given the same diagnosis. The doc gave him some Donatol for the belly pain & advised us to go home. For some reason, I refused to leave & requested a blood test. 15 minutes later, Kyle was taken for a CT scan. 5 minutes later, the world as we knew it changed…forever. Here I am standing with my 4 year old son, being told he has Cancer & the ambulance is on it’s way to take us to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
Upon arrival, we were told he was severely anemic & would need 3 blood transfusions before he could undergo a Bone Marrow Biopsy & Lumbar Puncture. Those tests determined which type of Leukemia Kyle has & the course of treatment.
The test results revealed it is Acute Lymphomic Leukemia-ALL. It was caught in the early stages, so that works in his favor and from what we are told, ALL is the “best” type of Leukemia for a child to have- not that any kind is something to hope for…
Kyle started chemotherapy on May 5th. He remained at CHLA for 12 days to receive more chemo & another marrow biopsy & lp. The doctors inserted a PIC line in his arm to deliver the chemo & take labs. This reduces the need to “poke” him regularly- trying to reduce the amount of trauma to this little man! The PIC line, however, brings with it a risk of infection. The line needs to be cleaned & flushed daily- something Eric, Bailey, & I have become quite good at!! In a few weeks they will be inserting a port under his skin & removing the PIC line. This will give him more freedom to take a bath & even swim.
At this point, we make the trek to CHLA once a week for marrow tests, spinals, blood transfusions, & chemo. A nurse comes to the house once a week to change his PIC line dressing & he has lots of meds to take orally including steroids. I have to say, he has been quite the little trooper! Takes everything without a fuss. His strength & courage never ceases to amaze us.
The effects of the chemo & steroids are brutal, to put it mildly. Never really knew the meaning of “roid rage” until now. That’s what is so difficult, he has no control of himself at times & he realizes that- totally frustrating.
We want to thank everyone for their love & support during this time. Words cannot begin to express how blessed we feel to be surrounded by such wonderful family, friends, & even strangers. Thank you all.
Prayers & positive thinking have gotten us this far & it will carry us through the next 3 years. This will be a long journey for Kyle & for our family, but he will not take it alone. Eric, Bailey, & I have vowed to help Kyle in his “Krusade to Krush Cancer!”
