Moving Forward

Most of you who know us have probably already heard Jackson's diagnosis. But for those of you who don't know, Jackson has cancer. It's a very rare form of cancer found mainly in infants and toddlers. The fact that Jackson is 5 and has this cancer is pretty uncommon.

I could go on and on about the things we have learned about his specific type of tumor/cancer, but instead, I'm going to move forward- just like the title of this blog.

It's insane the speed at which things are moving. It hasn't even been a week since his diagnosis, and we've already been on a roller coaster of sorts.

Monday he had an echo cardiogram to check to make sure his heart is strong. Tuesday was a blessedly normal day. Today he had an ultrasound on his kidneys to see if the cancer has spread there (this type of cancer usually attacks the brain and the kidneys first). Today he also went in for surgery to place his double lumen broviac line or a Central Line that will be used to administer his Chemotherapy drugs.

Tomorrow we'll be at the hospital again for a hearing test, and a GFR test to check the function of his kidneys. 6 doctor appointments and 1 surgery in three days.

It has been a lot, and we've only just begun. The wonderful news is that Jackson is surprisingly doing great. I am genuinely amazed at his positive attitude, and his sassy attitude. I had to ask myself tonight if he really had surgery again today because he was sassing me. He seems to understand more than any 5 year old should. He listens and absorbs information. He asks intelligent questions, and has valid concerns. He is resilient and seems to be taking all of this into his stride. I hope to be as courageous as he has been.

More good news is that there are no visible signs of tumors on his kidneys! We have been so lucky that we caught this cancer so early. What started as an "eye issue" in January- double vision, and his eye starting to turn in- was actually a blessing. Without his eye turning in, we still wouldn't know that he had a tumor. He is so incredibly healthy, and you'd never know that he is walking around with cancer.

From here on out it's going to be busy busy busy. Lots of doctors visits. Lots of long hospital stays during the Chemotherapy. Lots of sleepless nights.

He should start Chemotherapy sometime next week. He will be in the hospital for about 3 weeks while he goes through each round of Chemotherapy. The plan is 5 rounds of Chemo, and 2 rounds of Radiation Therapy. The next 6-9 months of our lives are already planned out for us.

Our lives have been drastically changed in the last 6 days. It almost feels like our world stopped turning when the doctor said the words "Malignant Tumor". But I am still surprised that things are moving forward- moving forward at lightning speed.

So, like I said in our family blog. We don't feel strong, we don't know why this is happening to our sweet boy. We just know that we are here for him no matter what. We will help him through every step of this process, no matter how difficult. We will fight this fight, and God willing, we will win.