Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place.
Sensitive Information Post. 9.27.18 I don’t know how to share this with social media and not sure how many details we will share going forward on social media. I think deep down owning and seeing this in black and white will make it even more real and the yearly Facebook memory of this post will haunt me for a long time. However, we are overwhelmed by the support and love we have already received from family, extended family and close friends who we’ve shared this news with and we want to keep the prayers and good vibes rolling so here goes nothing...
What started out as any other week with a seemingly innocent but annoying head cold then viral rash turned into Liam being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We are at children’s hospital of Atlanta (CHOA) receiving amazing care from a talented team of doctors and nurses. The course of treatment is 6-9 months. We will have 10 intense days of chemo, then wait patiently for his [blood] counts to drop to nil then recover. All the while holding our breath he doesn’t catch an infection [also it’s flu season] while he’s most vulnerable. This total process takes about 30 days. Then we will discharge from the hospital for about 7-10 days to “reset.” We will have 4 courses of chemo but the 6-9 months come from the chemo then waiting for counts to drop and recover.
We still don’t have words to describe how we feel. I’ve always lived my life thinking I’m in control with a strict plan. We had the next two years planned out, or so we thought. But, In this turn of life i am thankful....not peaceful [but i am working towards that].... [thankful that] Liam is so strong and rocking this first course of treatment. We are surrounded by amazing, supportive family that allow billy and I to go out and eat lunch or catch a mid-day snooze when we’ve been up with Liam all night long. And most importantly, that Billy is able to be here with me in Atlanta. We are able to be united in this fight for Liam. I hope after reading this post you’ll join me in slowing down, not planning every move, and being thankful for each moment no matter how mundane. I’ve thanked Billy more in the last 10 days than I have in the last year. The hard times make the better times a little sweeter. We can never know the battle someone else is fighting and it’s not for us to know their battle. Be kind. Be graceful. Since we are four hours from CHOA and our hometown hospital is NOT a children’s hospital we are discussing moving to Atlanta for the course of Liam’s treatment. If Liam should spike a fever he would need IV antibiotics within the hour. Also, Liam is obsessed with animal videos and loves watching them while we have a procedure or just to pass the time. These hospitals dazeeee are long y’all. Please text me any silly videos of your dog or cat. We may decide to share updates on a social media page or blog but for now it’s too real and too raw to share our sweet boy’s fight. But you can call, text, PM, or FaceTime us anytime for updates. We will gladly share details in those outlets.
