Jay and Melissa’s son (my nephew), Colin, turned 6 on January 12th. We had a small birthday party for him on the 9th. He was typical Colin. Loud, energetic, busy, full of giggles, and he couldn't wait to open the gifts and go play with his buddy, Brady. Two short weeks later, on the 23rd, we were together again and he looked like he didn't feel well. He was pale and acting pretty subdued for Colin. By Thursday night, January 28th, he was so exhausted by bed time that he couldn't walk up the stairs to his room and Jay had to carry him. When he woke up Friday morning, Melissa noticed the bottom of his feet looked yellow. They asked him if he hurt, and he said "only when my heart beeps really fast". They took him in to the clinic here in Wadena. After some blood work and an EKG, the doctors told Jay and Melissa that his hemoglobin was at a critical low of 4, his platelet count was very low, and his heart rate was high. They sent him via ambulance to Children‘s Hospital in Minneapolis for further testing. Children’s started him on blood transfusions to increase the hemoglobin and the platelets enough to safely perform a bone marrow biopsy. By Sunday afternoon, his heart rate had gone down, his hemoglobin was up to almost 9, and although they kept dropping, the platelets had been up substantially. The biopsy was performed Monday, February 1st. When the doctors shared the results, they were optimistic, saying that what he has is the most common form of childhood leukemia (B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or B-cell ALL), and the prognosis is good, but it may take 2 to 3 years before they get the all clear. They’ve got a very long road ahead. We’ve all been trying to keep up with updates to family and friends and with the stress of everything going on, some things have probably slipped through the cracks. We’re hoping this page will help us avoid that, and I will do my best to convey the most accurate and up to date information to keep you all informed. Thank you for visiting. We appreciate all the thoughts, prayers, and support for the family.
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