Milo’s Story

Site created on December 28, 2019

It was a doozy of a Christmas for us.

Milo went in for a check-up on Dec 23rd because he was having some breathing issues that were a bit concerning to Calah and me. Our pediatrician listened to his lungs and they sounded clear as day. The thing was, he had a weirdly fluctuating temperature along with it. She decided to send us for x-rays to see if there was a deep pneumonia or something else brewing. We went for x-rays and were immediately sent to the emergency room at NY Presbyterian for further imaging/testing. This is where we have all remained since. 

We spent Christmas all together at the hospital and celebrated with presents, and a visit from Santa himself! It was pretty special for Milo and all of us.

All the while, there were a battery of blood tests, CT scans, a spinal tap, a biopsy, and more. After what seemed like forever, on the 26th, Milo was diagnosed with T Cell Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a non-operable, but highly treatable Cancer that had formed a very large tumor in his chest.  The tumor is (now was!) about the size of one of his lung cavities - half his chest - and had mostly flattened one of his lungs and was squeezing in on his heart slightly as well. We could not have found it at a better time and could not have found it prior for any good reason. Thank goodness we have good pediatricians and the incredible pediatric Oncology team here at Presbyterian.

After reviewing everything and meeting with his new team of doctors, Milo began his chemotherapy treatment on the 27th and will undergo an intense barrage for approximately a month, spending the entire duration at the hospital. After these initial intense chemo treatments, Milo will hopefully go home and begin the long journey to being cancer free forever. This process will take at least two years with periodic chemotherapy and hospital visits throughout.  The hope being he will come out of all this a healthy and happy kid crushing life, cancer free!

As you can imagine, this was a blunt force shock to everyone. After announcing our exciting news of a new addition to our family, we were slammed with maybe one of the worst fears a parent can have;  your child has cancer... at four and a half years old. It's unfathomable. We are all dealing with it in our own individual way and as a family. It’s a one day at a time thing and managing fear, expectations, logistics, work, etc. is a minute by minute endeavor.

We also ask that you still include us in your daily lives. Even though this is a hard time for our family we love seeing pictures of your kids, hearing good news or bad news, even if you feel it would be insignificant compared to this. Sometimes it’s the everyday things that make us feel normal. Milo also loves seeing photos of his friends, phone videos people make for him, and cards from his friends. All are welcome!  He misses his friends a lot already and will not be returning to school this year. 

Many of you have asked how you can help, what you can do, etc. If you would like to help and are not sure what to do and/or need some ideas, there is a GoFundMe page and Meal Train sign-up that are linked in the Ways to Help tab.

From all of us, let’s make 2020 a year of healing and growth (and shrinking!). Thoughts, prayers, or whatever you do are also very welcome.


Newest Update

One Year Anniversary

Journal entry by Calah Lambertson —

It’s been a minute. Our last post about Milo was right before our third baby was born. We didn’t mean to wait so long to post, but life got crazy. Like, real crazy…. Here is a quick catch up and then onto Milo. 

We had a baby girl! Olivia Charlotte-Rey Ireland was born on June 29th. She is now about to be 6 months old and is happily enjoying foods and being entertained by her brothers. 

We moved! When Olivia was only 7 weeks old, we packed up everything in a week and settled into our new home in Fairfield CT. All of us are enjoying the extra space and the easy access to nature.

As for Milo, today is a big day. December 23rd is officially the 1 year anniversary of Milo being sent to the emergency room and PICU after having breathing issues and a scan showing a large mass on his lung. Wow, what a year it’s been for us, Milo and the world. Today was filled with a lot of emotions for us and there were definitely some hugs and tears shared. 

We have been a bit silent because, honestly, it’s been really tough.  Since our last post Milo entered his hardest chemo phase one day after Olivia was born. Remember I said we were busy? Well, it was the worst one by far. He lost the remainder of his hair, shed quite a few pounds and had to have numerous blood and platelet transfusions. It was hard, but we knew it was coming and we were prepared. Then shortly after we moved he entered his final phase - Maintenance phase. It was a time of celebration. He is not done, not even close, but things are so much better. Maintenance phase will continue for the rest of his treatment which will finish approx May 2022.  He still takes chemo daily and has clinic visits, but the drugs are mild in comparison to the gaultlet he went through. He will continue to have clinic visits for blood work every couple of weeks and IV chemo once a month. So, our hospital visits are fewer, the drugs are milder, and so far (knock on wood), we’ve stayed out of the emergency room. 

Since starting Maintenance Milo looks and seems to be more like himself. He is happy, energetic, funny, silly and growing his hair back! He has been rocking online kindergarten, scooting around our neighborhood, sledding in the snow, and being an awesome 5 year old. 

Happy holidays to you all and let’s hope 2021 is a better and brighter year!

Our new address:

273 Woodside Circle
Fairfield, CT 06825

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