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~*~SAMANTHA'S STORY~*~ 
The butterfly represents the changes a child goes through while undergoing cancer treatment. From the cocoon of treatment and isolation, a child emerges - beautiful and ready to take flight. Thank you for stopping in on our little corner of the world today.
i have been asked to tell how this whole situation started...
March of 2001 Sammi started complaining she was ache and tired all the time.( she was 2 1/2 years old) Her energy level went down and she slept alot. Then she started complaining of pains in her legs and arms. Then it was her back and headaches. For almost 2 weeks on the phone the doctor told me it was the start of cold and flu season and not to get to concerned. But i knew my daughter and felt uneasy about all this. Then we noticed her appetite was non existant. The next day her face and skin tone was like a yellow banana. This time instead of calling the doctor i just brought her in. After seeing her and feeling her tummy they thought at first it was hepatitus. When they called with the blood results we were told to go right to the hospital . Thats when the real drama unfolded. We were filled in on this type of leukemia( acute lymphoblastic leukemia) and spent the first 21 days in the hospital.
After 30 months on chemotherapy her 5 year watch started on September 22, 2003. She is now 9 years old. While she is out of immediate danger for now, her immune system is still not 100% normal.However, she wont let that stop her. She goes to school and is active in sports and activities. She is a state and regional champion baton twirler. When she is not twirling or in school, she is also an active fund raiser for many childhood cancer organizations. While she tries to be as normal as possible she knows she will always be a little different then other kids.
Her mediport came out March 1, 2004, and on September 2004 she was able to redo her immunization shots.However due to a rare side effect( spasms and twiches) that started about 5 days after we started her shots, we have decided against doing them any more. It took over a year for them to fade enough not to be noticable by anyone other then her family. Hopefully they fade 100% soon.
While we do not want her life flying by, and we want her to enjoy getting back into a real childhood routine, we are looking forward to her 11th birthday so we can really say the battle is over.
please sign in so she can see all of you who care enough to check up on her.
WINNERS NEVER QUIT AND QUITERS NEVER WIN
Samantha's Story
Mommy it hurts really bad
She kept saying it and looked so sad
Her head was hurting and feeling hot
I knew my daughter and this was not
Her doctor said it was just the flu
So instead we took her to the hospital and they knew
Her white blood cells were very high
Oh no I cried out with a sigh
We knew that day it was not good
No one was in a very good mood
Cancer was the word they said
But assured us it did not mean she would be dead
Curable, treatable with very good odds
We asked everyone to pray to our god
Do not take our Samantha away
Chemo took over our lives each day
Pills, shots and needles became our world
Sometimes twice is she got sick and hurled
Today she is doing much better
She is in school, what a go-getter
Soon our lives will change once more
As we walk out the hospital door
You see our chemo is now done
Sammi is my hero my number one
Now we start her five year watch
And hopefully it goes smooth with no catch
Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes
You have our love and all our kisses
Please pray for a cure
So no child will need chemo anymore
By: Karen Perrone
**************************************
Samantha in Chemoland
There was a girl who went to Wonderland
I believe Alice was her name
Well, a strange thing happened to Sammi
A different story but unbelievable just the same
"I'm not going, I want to stay home"
She said in a determined voice
But her body had already made the decision
She didn't have any other choice
She didn't go thru a looking glass
To get to this strange new place
But thru a hospital door
With tears streaming down her face
Her bone marrow wasn't doing it's job you see
We had to find a cure
And here they had a medicine which
Would make her white blood cells mature
So we entered this unreal world
No Queen of Hearts or Mad Hatter to be seen
Just lots of men and women
Dressed in suits of white or green
This was certainly a funny land
Where children had no hair
But the strangest thing of all was
That they didn't really seem to care
Nobody was playing crochet
There wasn't a rabbit who was late
Just all these sad little kids
Quietly accepting their fate
Many tired mothers
With a sad expression in their eyes
An unanswered question in their mind
"Oh, dear God, what will I do if she dies?"
There were no tea parties
No un-birthdays to celebrate
Here a mother's hope was that her
four year old daughter would turn five, six. seven eight…..
Time to go home, we've stayed long enough
But first we must get permission
"Yes" said a man in white"You can go
You've now reached complete remission"
Unfortunately, this isn't a fairy tale
This place we experienced first hand
It's the true story of Sammi's
Journey in Chemoland
Written for Samantha
Please do not forget to sign the guestbook. i know its not always fast to do but sammi loves getting the messages from you all....thanks!! its amazing what 1 nice new message a day can do to a kid.....
god bless you and yours!!
karen ( mom)
THE ICKY WITCH
There is a plastic container on top of the refrigerator that is filled with medications. Anti-nausea pills, laxatives, pills for constant pain, morphine for breakthrough pain, antibiotics, hypodermic needles, cream to numb the skin for shots, alcohol swabs, and many, many more. There is a cardboard box, tucked away in the hall closet, with IV apparatus.
The girls, six and four, are playing dress-up. They are both wearing princess gowns, teetering on plastic high heel shoes, their heads adorned in tiaras and gauzy scarves. They giggle and shriek darting from one room to the other trying to escape the “icky witch”. Under her gown, the four year old has an adhesive patch on her thigh and under the patch is a liberal daub of numbing cream. This doesn’t slow her down as she and her sister fly from the evil old witch.
The doorbell rings, and the four year old runs to hide in her bedroom on the top bunk. Her sister runs to their grandmother. The visiting nurse has arrived to administer the little girl’s daily shot.
The mother coaxes the little one down and carries her into the living room. The ritual begins. First the little one, who has begun to tremble, peels off the adhesive strip and wipes off the cream with an alcohol swab. She begins to moan, Don’t hold me, Wait! Wait! Not yet! Don’t hold me!, over and over as the nurse softly reassures her and the mother whispers loving endearments. The older sister clutches her grandmother and peeks at her sister and mother. The little one finally says, ok! Ok! And the nurse, faster than you would believe possible, administers the shot. The little one screams, jumps up and flails at her mother and with a shriek runs to her room. The door slams shut and the older girl whimpers.
The nurse, mother and grandmother shake their heads and sigh. They hear the older sister open the door and soon the giggles begin.
The nurse, the mother and the grandmother all know who the real “icky witch” is.
It is cancer.
.
"The Strength of an Egg"
Parents of children with cancer are often referred to or viewed as having "strength like a rock". Albeit flattering it is not quite true. It is more like the strength of an egg. An egg you ask? Yes!
If you'll think about it, you'll see my point.
An egg has a polished, smooth outer appearance, with no cracks or weak spots visible. It seems almost inconceivable that the inside might not be
as smooth or solid.
Most children, at some point, are shown the famous egg trick. An egg set at just the right angle can withstand enormous amounts of pressure and cannot be cracked or broken. Yet the same egg, tapped gently at an even
slightly different angle, will break. The contents, once so neatly concealed, will come spilling out. The no-longer perfect shell will be crushed. It looks so fragile that it seems inconceivable that it ever held any strength.
A rock, on the other hand is solid all the way through. To break it is almost impossible. If you succeed, you will find that there is nothing inside but more rock. It takes a lot more than pure hardness to hold the "HAND OF HOPE".
Parents of children with cancer are not solid all the way through. We hurt, we fear, we cry, we hope. It takes a very careful balancing act to keep the shell from being shattered. "Balancing an egg" while running a household,
going for doctors' visits and hospital stays, keeping the family together, and holding on to the constantly unraveling ties of your sanity can be very tricky indeed!
Occasionally, the angle will be off and the shell will break, shattering hope and the neatly secured appearances of a truly fragile existence. Unlike Humpty Dumpty, though, parents of children with cancer will pick
themselves up and put themselves back together again.
WHERE DO BALLOONS GO WHEN YOU SET THEM FREE???
Where do balloons go when you set them free??
do they float into the clouds or get stuck in a tree?
do they fly high in the sky or get popped by a bee?
do they soar witht he birds and the bugs in the air...
or stay close to the ground and get chased by a bear?
does the wind blow them out over the big blue ocean..
or do they climb up and over samll hills and big mountains??
Do they go out into space and circle the stars and then
fall back to earth after traveling so far??
or does GOD collect them all in a big bouquet and give them to the children in heaven each day??
where do balloons go when you set them free?
I hope they go to heaven as a gift for you from me!!
*****************************SPECIAL ANGEL NANA SHERRY 1940-2005
Donations can be sent to honor her name and memory to the Sherry Misrock Scholarship Fund... Checks made to the care of the Flagler Beach Bowling Association
mail to:
PO BOX 353825
Palm Coast FL 32135
Thank you in advance for anyone who donates
SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE IN ANGELS..I GOT TO HOLD ONE IN MY ARMS FOR 36 YEARS AND MY HEART FOREVER.
I love you mom. You were my mother, best friend, confident, advisor, shopping buddy, and so much more. Now your my angel. Always in my heart, thought, and prayers...forever!!!
One last poem from our hearts to all of our friends, supporters and family.
THANK YOU
Thank you for standing by us and lending an ear.
For helping us out by just being near.
Thank you for cheering us on or saying a prayer.
For holding us up and showing you care.
Thank you for making us laugh and giving us hope.
For showing support and helping us cope.
Thank you for all that you've done and all that you'll do.
We am so very fortunate to have someone like you!
Journal
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 7:46 PM CDT i cannot get over how long its been since i have updated....wow....things here are doing well. This month will mark 9 years since first diagnosed. At that time it seemed like it would never end. now looking back the time flew..and thank goodness samantha is doing great.....
our family is a fun action filled one and lookin gat us you would never know about the past. Unless samantha decided to fill you in on it or you saw one of us speak to new parents or patients...
thank you to one and all for all your love support and prayers!
you have made it all do-able and more bearable. the only thing that can make it better would be a cure for the future!!
Your all always in our thoughts, prayers and hearts!!
Read Journal History
Hospital Information: Patient Room: none at this time Winthrop University Hospital / cancer center for Kids
200 old country rd
mineola ny 11501
1516 663 9400
Links: http://www.sunrisedaycamp.org/ daycamp for kids with cancer
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