Mark Myers
In Uncategorized

A Decision Between Life and Livelihood

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all of us to step back and make hard choices. But what would you do if your child was in treatment for cancer and you worked in a hospital that was starting to admit patients suffering from the virus? That’s the decision the Walker family had to make.

Payton, or Pjo, as he likes to be called, is a whirlwind of action and fun. He could often be found climbing up a tree in his yard until a cancer diagnosis slowed him down. In April 2019, seven-year-old Pjo was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer of the nervous system. He started aggressive chemotherapy right away and had surgery to remove the large mass. His treatment path has been difficult, but he has maintained a positive attitude through the whole thing.

Pjo was all set to be the face of CURE Madness before the NCAA tournament was cancelled. Now he is the face of the balancing act between cancer treatment and COVID-19. His father, Payton, is a plumber, and his current job site is at Grady Hospital. Because Pjo is immunocompromised and completely vulnerable to the virus, his family was forced to make a very hard choice.

“This was a real reality check,” said Pjo’s mother, Deidra. “We were both really hoping they would shut the job site down, but they didn’t. We are at a place where we cannot take any chances. So Payton is taking a layoff.”

Even in the best of times, many families struggle financially during childhood cancer treatment. Between increased medical expenses, frequent travel costs, and loss of time at work to be a caregiver, finances can quickly become strained. The pandemic has forced a new, even tougher reality for some parents of children fighting cancer. During treatment, cancer patients are so vulnerable that they would have no way to fight off such a strong virus, and difficult decisions have to be made. Decisions of life over livelihood.

But Deidra doesn’t doubt their decision one bit.

“Pjo’s body has been through so much in the past a year,” explained Deirda. “It would be irresponsible of us to continue to expose him. If everyone does their part and stays home, maybe we can stop this virus and Payton can go back to work.”

Pjo is starting a new form of treatment called immunotherapy that hopefully will finish off his cancer for good. He will be severely immunocompromised for months to come, but his whole family will do whatever it takes to keep him safe. Their difficult decision proves that.

Mark Myers
In Children, News

The Face of Immunocompromised

When word of the coronavirus began to spread, Annie Garner knew just what to do.

“I told my kids it was time to hunker down,” she explained. “Fighting germs is nothing new to any cancer mom.”

Annie and her family have been in that fight germs since April of 2017 – when their youngest daughter Chloe was diagnosed with an optic glioma. The discovery of a tumor behind her eye was a complete accident. She had a slight head tilt and her parents noticed her eye shaking. Since Annie’s husband, Noah, is in the Army, they took Chloe to the base physician, who said she didn’t feel prepared to diagnose it and sent them to the hospital.

“We were supposed to be there for a quick 30-minute MRI,” recalled Annie. “But that turned into five hours. When the doctor finished, he came in and told me she had a tumor.”

Because of their location, it is rare for such tumors to be surgically removed. Most of the time, the goal is to stabilize them so they do not grow. Her doctors began to closely monitor Chloe’s tumor, and nearly a year later, the tumor was declared stable. Unfortunately, tumor growth was evident at a scan four months later, and even more in the next scan. So Chloe began a chemotherapy regimen designed to shrink it.

But a year’s worth of weekly chemo yielded frustrating results.

“From October 2018 to October 2019, her tumor would be stable at one scan and then grow at the next,” Annie said. “The one result we never got was tumor shrinkage.”

This is when Annie learned how to hunker down and become diligent about providing a germ-free environment. Because of the way chemotherapy works, children in treatment often have compromised immune systems. Despite all precautions, it is very hard to keep children completely protected. Chloe missed several doses of chemotherapy because she was sick or had low white blood cell counts, and at her last scan they learned that her tumor had grown again.

Her medical team came up with a new plan that involved a drug called Avastin. So far it has been far easier on Chloe’s body, and her last scan in February yielded great results.

“For the first time, we heard the words, ‘significant tumor reduction’,” said Annie excitedly. “And she hadn’t even completed the whole cycle!”

While Chloe is finally feeling good, her vision has been affected. She has optic nerve damage from the tumor, and her vision isn’t 20/20. But right now, she’s back to dancing and enjoying her favorite movie, Frozen. Her mother describes her as feisty and stubborn – traits that helped carry her through her difficult treatment.

Chloe still receives chemotherapy, and while her family has become good at being in quarantine, Annie worries when she sees others disregarding the World Health Organization’s advice during this pandemic. Her husband is currently deployed, so Annie has to fight this battle against germs alone.

“When experts talk about the immunocompromised people who have the highest risk of complications from COVID-19… that’s Chloe,” Annie said. “This is a dangerous time for her and other kids taking chemo. I just want people to think about others right now. Whether they are young or old, this matters for a lot of people.”

Annie urges people to heed the warnings to stay home.

“For the greater good – especially for all those like Chloe who are at high risk, please just stay home,” pleads Annie.

Mark Myers
In Catie's Fund

Effingham County’s Catie’s Gathering 2020

An amazing group of people came together in Effingham County on Saturday, March 7th to enjoy a great night of community and raise money to fund life-saving research for pediatric cancers. This was the 10th annual dinner benefiting Catie’s Fund, a named fund of CURE Childhood Cancer. Formerly called Sisters on a Journey, the event is now known as Catie’s Gathering.

The on-going rain in the community prior to the event necessitated a last-minute move from Honey Ridge Agri-Center to Marlow Elementary School. Several schools and organizations in the county stepped forward to offer their space once word of the need to move got out. Members of the community all pitch in and do what they can to make a difference – which is a classic example of what makes this event so special. Two in-kind sponsors, Carlson’s Premier Events and Kaufman Heinz, were instrumental in making the venue change successful.

Other than the move to Marlow, things went as planned. Sponsors, in-kind donors, CURE families, volunteers, table hostesses, and guests all came out for a great night. Before the start of the event, guests enjoyed perusing silent auction items and listening to live music provided by local band, Goshen Travelers.

One of the things that makes this event so unique is that each table is decorated individually. The table hostesses chose a theme or color scheme and created elaborate tablescapes and centerpieces. The hostesses certainly weren’t shy on creativity when they came up with themes like Crushing Cancer, We’ve “Goat” to CURE Childhood Cancer, Cooking for a CURE, and Kissing Childhood Cancer Goodbye.

Emcee, Lonnie Pate, started the program by welcoming the crowd. Simply Southern Catering served guests a delicious meal and Southern Kafe on 17 provided a great coffee bar. Door prizes and an exciting live auction with auctioneer, Kenny Williams, really got things rolling. Kenny later shaved his head in honor of kids fighting cancer and to celebrate all the money raised that night.

CURE’s Jenny Wilkins and teenage cancer survivor, Seth Rousch, shared some facts about childhood cancer with the crowd before Seth shared about his journey through childhood cancer. He shared some very difficult parts of his story including the months he spent away from home undergoing CAR T-cell therapy and eventually a bone marrow transplant.

In a poignant display, cancer survivors and families who had lost their child to cancer were invited down front for a candle-lighting. Each family or survivor shared the name and diagnosis of their warrior. The room was silent during this beautiful and moving moment as they realized just how many local families have been affected by childhood cancer. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as these families lit candles and guests in the room stood to honor cousins, grandchildren, or siblings who had fought similar battles.

Thank you, Effingham County, for coming together once again. Everyone did their part and worked to raise $168,885 to improve treatment for children with cancer. We can’t wait until 2021!

Mark Myers
In Childhood Cancer, Children, News

Coronavirus: What Childhood Cancer Parents Need to Know

By now, we’ve all become familiar with the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, as well as the steps the average person should take to prevent the disease. Since the population that CURE serves is among the most vulnerable, we have compiled advice for parents who have children fighting cancer.

Many chemotherapy medications and targeted therapies used during a child’s cancer treatment can cause neutropenia, or depletion of the immune system’s white blood cells that fight infection. Because children with a weakened immune system may be unable to fight off the virus, parents should take steps to protect their children.

Experts recommend that everyone take common-sense precautions to prevent transmission of the new coronavirus. These precautions are nearly the same as the steps cancer parents take during flu season or when their child is neutropenic. Your medical team may offer other suggestions. As the situation is fluid, pay attention to emails and all other communications from your hospital.

If your child has prescription medications, try have a supply to last at least a couple of weeks and preferably a few months. The Food and Drug Administration is keeping track of medication shortages that may result from the epidemic. According to a recent statement, only one unspecified drug is now in short supply. No biological agents, such monoclonal antibodies or gene therapies, are made in China for the U.S. market, and there are no shortages. While it might be difficult due to insurance restrictions, try to get a 3-month supply or at the very least, renew your child’s prescriptions as soon as you are able.

 

Should I travel?

Most experts are encouraging cancer patients to stay off cruise ships and postpone air travel that isn’t directly related to their treatment. You should obviously follow the CDC’s travel recommendations – which are listed and updated here. When in doubt, ask your child’s oncologist.

What about school?

While the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is not recommending children stay home from school or avoid school group activities at this time, they understand that you know best. If you choose to keep your child home from school, they will support you by providing medical documentation that may be required by your school system. The same situation should apply at your treating hospital. You can read their full recommendations here.

What if a family member develops symptoms? 

“Your family is important and you don’t want to avoid them, but if someone in your household gets sick, use some social distancing,” said Dr. Steve Pergam, infectious disease expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. “Wear gloves, have them sleep in a different room if you can, make sure you wipe down areas with some sort of bleach wipes and keep washing your hands regularly. That’s really important.”

It’s also crucial not to bring a sick family member into your cancer treatment center.

“We need less people who are ill, not more,” Pergam said. “You don’t want someone going in with you even if they only have minor symptoms.”

Finally, he said it’s important to bring just one caregiver with you to treatment, not your entire family.

Should cancer patients (and survivors) avoid public transportation and events?

Pergam said people currently in treatment should avoid taking public buses or trains if at all possible. But he also acknowledged not every family can afford Lyft or Uber or some other rideshare service.

“Talk to your care team about what options exist to support you getting there without taking public transportation,” Pergam said. “Some hospital systems have services set up for patients.”

If you have no choice but to use the bus or a train, take precautions and distance yourself from others.

“Protect yourself,” Pergam said. “Sit in the back of the bus or other areas with less exposures and if you see someone who seems ill, coughing, move away.”

Pergam said cancer patients a few years out of treatment “should be OK,” but whenever possible should also avoid crowded buses or trains.

“If you have to get on a bus, practice distancing,” he said. “Or stay home if you can. It increases your risk when you are in public spaces.”

As for other public gathering places, Pergam again advised caution. Instead of going out to a movie, watch something at home instead, he said. Get take-out or delivery from your favorite restaurant instead of showing up in person. Or cook at home. Many grocery stores offer delivery service. You can even ask your pastor if they can set up a computer so you can go to “virtual church.”

“This doesn’t mean you have to be a hermit, just limit close interactions, particularly in public spaces,” he said.

Read the entire article here.

 

It is important during this time to stay in communication with your cancer team and keep up to date on new developments. Talk to them if you have questions or concerns, especially if you have new symptoms or were recently exposed to someone who is ill. While this could be a prolonged process, the best thing you can do is to monitor your child’s health and protect your family.

The following sources were used to compile this article. All are being updated frequently – bookmark them and refer to them as often as necessary.

Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta: COVID-19 and Oncology/Immunosuppression

Diane Maples, Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center:  Coronavirus: What Cancer Patients Need to Know 

Liz Highleyman, Cancer Health: What People With Cancer Need to Know About the New Coronavirus

Miram Falco, American Cancer Society: Common Questions About the New Coronavirus Outbreak

Mark Myers
In Childhood Cancer, Children

The Rush Brothers

While childhood cancers are rare, Tristen’s parents knew he had a better than average chance to be diagnosed with cancer. His mother, Angie, is a retinoblastoma survivor, and doctors had told her that there was a chance of passing the disease to her children.

Retinoblastoma is a cancer of the eye that most commonly effects young children. About 250 to 300 children in the United States are found to have retinoblastoma each year. Approximately 1/3 of those cases involve a specific genetic mutation and are considered hereditary. If one parent carries the mutated gene, each child has a 50 percent chance of inheriting that gene.

So when her first son was born, doctors immediately checked for the disease.

“Tristen was born early and spent about four weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit,” his father, Aaron said. “At three weeks, they found the tumor and started chemotherapy immediately.”

Their second son, Caison, was also born early and diagnosed with the same cancer at two days old. Because the cancer was detected early, both boys responded well to treatment. They haven’t had any new tumors in a long time, and they are watched closely by the doctors to ensure cancer doesn’t return.

“Angie’s treatment in the 80’s was much harsher than what the boys received,” Aaron explained. “She was older when they found the tumor, so it had also progressed further. They used intense radiation and cryotherapy which killed the cancer. But unfortunately, she wasn’t able to keep her eye.”

When their third son came along, they thought they had beat the odds. Just like his brothers, Carter was evaluated soon after his birth to see if he had any tumors. But unlike his brothers, doctors found no signs of cancer. But because of his genetics, Carter was monitored closely, and a tumor was found when he was six months old.

Like his brothers, the cancer was diagnosed so early that his prognosis is very good. Aaron says he hopes to use their story to raise awareness of childhood cancer.

“No one can imagine a family with three children who have cancer,” he said. “But knowing their genetics and their early diagnosis has been key in fighting the disease and preserving their vision.”

The Rush brothers underscore the connection between information and outcome. At CURE, we are laser-focused on improving outcomes for children fighting cancer. Because of their genetic makeup, the Rush’s medical team knew to check for cancer at its earliest stages.

Most childhood cancers are the result of genetic changes that happen early in the child’s life, sometimes even before birth. The typical childhood cancer diagnosis comes as a result of symptoms such as pain, swelling, or bruising, and almost always takes longer to discover than it did in the case of the Rush brothers. But if doctors had access to genetic information in the early stages, treatment paths may change and outcomes could improve.

“The way that we treat most childhood cancers now is by brute force,” explained Dr. Daniel Wechsler, Director of Pediatric Oncology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “We use drugs that have significant side effects. If we knew what particular drugs a child’s tumor was going to be responsive to, then we could use fewer drugs and get better outcomes.”

That is the premise of CURE’s Precision Medicine Initiative. By analyzing a child’s DNA, doctors are often able to discover genetic markers that help them tailor the perfect treatment to that child. This type of discovery is standard protocol for many adult cancers. But currently, only children with relapsed or high-risk tumors have their genes sequenced. Often, this is too late.

We believe that all children should receive the very best treatments available, and that begins by arming doctors with information. To that end, our goal is to make genetic discovery and genetic sequencing the first step in every child’s treatment.

Take the next step to support research that will help save kids with cancer… kids like Tristen, Caison, and Carter.

DONATE
Mark Myers
In Events

An Unexpected Community

How one family found support at Lauren’s Run & Picnic

Last year, Maddox and his family found an unexpected community at Lauren’s Run & Picnic. Maddox was only a few months into his treatment for leukemia when race day came. Thinking it was just a 5k that benefited CURE, they soon learned the day held a lot more.

“We were fairly new in the childhood cancer world at the time,” Maddox’s mother, Nour, said. “In fact, he was in the hardest part of treatment in late April. But we thought it would be fun to spend the day together as a family and we knew there would be other cancer families there, so we signed up. What we found was both beautiful and impactful.”

Maddox’s cancer journey started with a lump under his jawline. After months of labs, tests, and finally a biopsy, his family heard the dreaded words, “your child has cancer.” In November of 2018, Maddox began the battle of his young life against acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

In the first eight months of treatment, Maddox had weekly chemotherapy infusions and lumbar punctures where he had to be sedated to receive the chemotherapy in his spine. He is now in the maintenance phase of treatment and will have infusions and steroids every 12 weeks until his treatment ends in January of 2022.

“The last year has been full of emotions for our family… fear, anxiety, anger, panic, longing to be with each other when we can’t be,” explained Nour. “But it’s also been full of faith, love, joy, and support. We have felt so many arms wrapped around us by those we know and love, and even more by strangers we now call friends.”

When she registered for Lauren’s Run last year, Nour told their immediate family about the event, but didn’t really go beyond that. Word leaked out to friends and their loving group of supporters – many of whom joined the Maddox Strong Team for the race. The team grew so large that his blue shirts were all over the field and they won the Team Spirit award!

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“We walked the 2k and it was a beautiful and powerful time,” Nour recalled. “To see the signs along the raceway with kids’ faces and names meant a lot to me. It showed me that we aren’t alone.”

Nour has some thoughts on families considering coming to the event on April 26.

“As you deal with cancer, you can find support in unexpected places,” She said. “Lauren’s Run brought me a sense of community. The run/walk was impactful, and the day ended with a great picnic that allows kids to forget their treatment for a little while and just be kids. Maddox had a ball and we never felt pressured. We did the walk at our own pace and when Maddox was ready to leave, we left.”

We would love for you to join us at Lauren’s Run & Picnic on April 26. For details and registration information, please click the button below.

Mark Myers
In Catie's Fund

Savannah’s Catie’s Gathering 2020

Where can you find 550 guests gathered on a Friday evening wearing everything from medical scrubs, to camouflage, to flapper costumes all coming together for the same reason… to raise much needed funds for childhood cancer research? No where other than Savannah’s Catie’s Gathering Event benefiting CURE Childhood Cancer!

Savannah showed up in a big way on Friday, February 7th at the Kehoe Ironworks building overlooking the river downtown. Coastal Electrics attended as the event’s Title Sponsor. In addition, many other sponsors, in-kind donors, hospital staff, patient parents, volunteers, table hostesses, and guests were in attendance. Everyone enjoyed a cocktail hour while perusing silent auction items and listening to live music provided by local band, Tell Scarlet. Special thanks to Carlson’s Premier Events for helping make the room look beautiful.

The table hostesses chose a theme or color scheme and created elaborate tablescapes and centerpieces. The hostesses certainly weren’t shy on creativity when they came up with themes like When Life Gives You Lemons, Speakeasy, Fight Hard, Do you Wanna find a CURE (complete with Frozen’s Olaf the Snowman), and a Top Gun tribute; The Need For a CURE.

WSAV reporter, Andrew Davis, served as the nights emcee and Silk Road Catering provided guests with a delicious meal. While it was served, they listened to Jenny Wilkins, Co-Founder of Catie’s Fund, interview three Savannah teens: Seth Rousch, Lauren Stephens, and Lily Stuckey. The teens shared the trials of their cancer journies and what’s been happening in their lives over the past twelve months. Each shared some very difficult stories.

  • When Seth’s disease did not reach remission, he spent months away from home undergoing Car T Cell Therapy and eventually a bone marrow transplant.
  • Lauren’s relapsed stage-4 neuroblastoma didn’t respond to treatment until after she received genetic testing through Precision Medicine and began a clinical trial drug that targeted her genetic mutation. Managing life and treatment as a new college freshman with cancer was difficult. Lauren experienced a setback in her treatment, but she has a positive outlook for the future.
  • Lily’s leukemia treatment has not been easy but meeting a friend with the same diagnosis made cancer more tolerable. Lily shared how her friend, Kylie Shiell, who sat with her at the same event in 2019, passed away a few months earlier.

“Kylie did all her big things in life on the 13th of month,” Lily bravely said. “She was born on September 13, diagnosed with leukemia on April 13, and on November 13, 2019, I lost my cancer bestie.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when a tribute video to Kylie was played and Lily presented a special wooden angel that she painted to Kylie’s mother, Ashley, as a gift.

After an exciting live auction with auctioneer, Kenny Williams, guests left with full bellies and full hearts knowing that Savannah once again rallied together to fund better treatments for the community’s youngest cancer fighters.

“One of my favorite parts of the evening was when Jenny began talking with 18-year-old Lauren,” guest Katie Kelley wrote. “She explained how the treatment that finally worked for Lauren, was a result of the Precision Medicine Program that CURE is funding through events like this!”

Thank you, Savannah, for coming together once again. Everyone did their part to raise $140,000 to improve treatment for children with cancer. We can’t wait until 2021!

Mark Myers
In Uncategorized

A License to Grieve

Each year, CURE holds its annual Hope and Healing where families who have lost their child to cancer gather together to celebrate the lives of their children and attend workshops and presentations designed to assist them in their grief process. This year, Mark and Robin Myers, along with their daughter, Meredith, opened the weekend by sharing their story of loss and grief after losing Kylie. The session closed with Mark issuing special “licenses” to the 55 families in attendance.

Following rules has never been a big deal for me. I don’t gravitate toward the wrong side of the rules, I just tend to end up there somehow. This failing did not bode well for me in Mrs. Kleinstuber’s class. I remember her as a kind woman. But with her Germanic tendencies of order and structure, we butted heads at times.

Mrs. Kleinstuber didn’t give hall passes; she issued a license to visit the restroom. A big believer in semantics, she felt like a pass didn’t carry with it the weight of responsibility necessary for one to be trusted to go to the bathroom alone. But a license.

A license means you are granted permission by an authority to carry out a certain action or privilege.

We have to grant ourselves licenses at times and never as often as when we are grieving. The loss of a child is an abnormal occurrence in our western society, and grieving is made more difficult by the fact that most people will never understand that type of unnatural loss.

Winston Churchill said, “When you’re going through hell, keep going.”

 

There are all kinds of things I have to do to keep going in wake of Kylie’s loss. It has been almost five years now, and most of the time I feel like I’m able to keep going. But sometimes, I need a break. In those times, I have learned to grant myself many licenses. These licenses allow me to exist in a world that sometimes doesn’t understand who I am now or what I am going through.

Maybe you need one or two of them – maybe not. Some stand alone and some have a flipside that might be more relevant at times.

I’d like to issue these licenses to you – feel free to take any that will help you “keep going” in your grief.

License to grieve.

Please note that this license does not carry an expiration date.

License to sit it out.

If you feel like something will be too hard for you – be it a family event, gathering, or something else that will magnify your loss, stay home.

License to say no.

Don’t feel bad about saying no to something that will dredge up memories. Maybe next time you’ll be able to say yes… or not.

License to be angry.

Anger is a real emotion and can be productive. Don’t suppress anger, just be careful of your actions while you are angry.

License to be angry with God.

Whatever your stance on God, I believe that he is certainly big enough to carry our anger.

License to forgive.

When the time comes, forgiveness is a very healthy and healing process.

License to forgive yourself.

You did the best you could with the information you had at the time. This is not your fault!

License to abandon a grocery cart because your child’s favorite cereal is buy-one-get-one-free.

License to distance yourself from anyone for any reason.

If someone isn’t helping you heal or they are too needy, move away.

License to stay in your jammies.

Also, a license to congratulate yourself for getting dressed.

License to take a day off.

(Tell your boss I said it was okay!)

License to own the crazy.

When another of my daughters had unexplained bone pain (which was how Kylie’s cancer started), we took her straight to the ER. Crazy? Probably. But it put our minds at ease. Own the crazy if you need to.

License to go to war against cancer.

Also, a license to sit it out without guilt.

Also, a license to reengage whenever you’re ready… or never.

License to close your mouth and smile when someone says something really stupid.

Also, a license to speak up when you need to (using discretion – which can be difficult.)

A license to look at someone like they have three heads if they use either the word tragic or devastating regarding a sporting event.

A license to look at someone like they have three heads if they compare your loss to the loss of their grandfather, great uncle, or dog.

License to respond to texts.

Also, a license to not answer a single text for any reason whatsoever with no explanation.

 

License to listen to all the songs that well-meaning people send you.

Also, a license to block the well-meaning person who keeps sending you songs.

License to cry.

Also, a license to not cry and not feel guilty (it will happen someday, and you might feel like you should have cried if you still cared about your child.)

 

License to turn off Social Media.

Especially at times like graduations and events that friends are sharing and you will never experience with your child.

License to smile.

That day will come and you should feel no guilt – your child would want you to smile and be as happy as possible.

License to take it easy on yourself.

You’re not doing this grief thing wrong because there is no wrong way to grieve. It’s your way, your time, whatever is best for you and keeps you moving forward.

Mark Myers is the Director of Communications for CURE Childhood Cancer. He lost his 12-year-old daughter, Kylie, to Ewing sarcoma on 2/13/15.

Mark Myers
In Uncategorized

Fiona Swims for CURE

Fiona has been swimming for a very long time. She would be the first to tell you that she isn’t the fastest swimmer in the pool. But she just might be the one with the most heart.

“Swimming is a big part of who I am,” Fiona said. “It’s always been my favorite sport, and I’ve made a lot of friends through neighborhood swim teams and now high school.”

Another big part of Fiona’s persona was forged as a cancer survivor. At the tender age of two, Fiona had a sickness that wouldn’t go away. Her parents took her to her pediatrician several times until a blood test confirmed that she had leukemia. She spent the next two years in treatment. Since she was so young, she has very few memories of her cancer journey.

“We have a few pictures of me in treatment,” she explained. “Since I don’t really remember it, it feels weird to think that baldness and needles were a significant part of my childhood.”

Fiona reached remission quickly and hasn’t looked back. She has an annual appointment at the survivor’s clinic, and due to the toxicity of the treatment that healed her, she has to have an echocardiogram every other year to monitor her heart function.

As she has gotten older, Fiona has developed a passion for giving back to good causes. She particularly wanted to do something on her own that would help other kids forced to fight cancer. Early last year, an idea began germinating in her head to use swimming to raise money for CURE. With her family’s support, she took the idea to her coach at Lakeside High School who was immediately on board.

Her idea was very simply to get the team together to swim laps while music played in the background. Some of her teammates asked their friends and family for a pledge per lap, but most of the students collected money for the cause beforehand and brought it in. By the time they were out of the pool and toweling off, Fiona and her friends had raised almost $4000 to fight cancer.

“It was challenging to organize at times,” Fiona admitted. “But I’m super-excited about the turnout, the support we got from neighbors and the school, and the amount of money we raised. It was a very rewarding experience.”

Fiona is already planning on doing it again next year. She’s also in the early stages of planning for a career. As a high school junior, she has plenty of time to decide. But right now, she is leaning toward studying to become a child life specialist.

“Their job is so special,” she said. “I really want to help children cope with their hospital experience since others did that for me.”

Whatever she decides to do, she is sure to be successful if she carries the same passion and dedication she’s shown in the pool into her career.

 

 

 

Mark Myers
In Uncategorized

An Unexpected Love Story

Jessie had been sick for weeks and had been taken to visit her doctor several times. After the pediatrician couldn’t identify the problem, he ordered a blood test. But the machine couldn’t read the results because her white blood cell counts were too high to register. That earned Jessie a quick trip to the emergency room where she was diagnosed with leukemia.

Because she was 11 years old, her disease was considered high risk from the start. She began months of chemo that put her in remission almost immediately. At that time, another test revealed that she would almost certainly relapse at some point in her life because of a specific chromosome for which she tested positive. This news forced her to undergo the rigors of a bone marrow transplant.

“Our insurance company forced us to go to Minnesota for the transplant,” Jessie recalled. “My donor was someone unrelated to me who matched my bone marrow, but not my blood type. So I went north with O+ blood and came back to Georgia with A+!”

Jessie has had no evidence of disease since her treatment ended.

♥

Twelve days after Jessie’s diagnosis, another family was hearing the same dreaded words, “your child has cancer.”

♥

Joe was an active 13-year-old who had been slowed down by knee pain. When the pain became intolerable, he was taken to the doctor who suspected growing pains to be the culprit. Rest and ice did nothing to soothe him, and a subsequent trip the hospital revealed a tumor in his knee.

A biopsy showed the tumor to be Ewing sarcoma, a rare type of childhood cancer that occurs in bones or in the soft tissue around the bones. Joe’s family had treatment decisions to make, and rather than amputation, they chose to undergo a limb salvage procedure which entailed removing the disease and reconstructing the knee. While it was successful, the incision became infected and left little room for keeping his leg.

“I remember the doctor came in with bad news,” Joe said. “He told my parents, ‘I can save his leg, or I can save his life.’ In the end, we didn’t have much of a choice.”

Joe had his leg amputated above the knee. He made a full recovery and although treatment was very difficult, he has remained cancer-free since.

♥

Joe and Jessie were treated at the same hospital and at the same time but somehow didn’t meet during their treatment. They first met at summer camp a few years later as teenagers. Both enjoy sports and outdoor activities, so they always seemed to run into each other on the fields or shooting range. They wouldn’t become more than passing acquaintances until much later, however.

Jessie arrived on the University of West Georgia campus knowing a few people from high school and one friend from their camp. That friend reconnected her to Joe, who happened to be a sophomore at UWG. They became friends in college, but romance was yet to bloom. Jessie graduated in 2005 and moved to Newnan to begin a career. Five years later, a surprise Facebook message changed her life.

“I hadn’t seen Joe in years, but he must have noticed that I’d moved nearby,” Jessie said. “He messaged me and said, ‘what are you doing in Newnan?’”

As fate would have it, Joe lived nearby. They agreed to get together and soon were dating. After an 18-month courtship, cancer survivors Joe and Jessie Tallant walked down the aisle as man and wife. They will celebrate their tenth anniversary in August.

Although both have been cancer-free for many years, they haven’t been free from the cancer treatment they received. The radiation and chemotherapy that saved their lives left them both with fertility challenges to overcome. After going through an embryo adoption process, Jessie gave birth to twins, Buck and Ellie in 2017. It’s a busy, hectic life, but Jessie wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Cancer isn’t fair and has left a footprint on everyone involved. But if it wasn’t for cancer, I wouldn’t have met Joe or had the twins,” Jessie added. “This isn’t the story either of us would have written for our lives… but it’s turning out to be a good one.”