Cheer Sam on!!

From inside the womb he was an active boy, born May 2007 full of energy and loved instantly.  By the age of 4 he loved sports, the outdoors, learning anything, and family time.  In October 2011 Sam spent every other week at the new pediatricians office always diagnosed with a case of strep throat it just wouldn’t go away.  Excited for Christmas at our house we made it thru the day but he was just not himself.  New Years Day came and went and I knew this was just not my son.  I noticed what I thought was a rash and the doctor thought was eczema, it looked like little pin marks all over his face mostly.  He was bruising easy, very pale almost greenish, and wanted to go to bed right after school, Sam never wanted to sleep before 11 since he was born.  He was barely eating anything not even McDonald's one of his favorites I knew something was wrong.
        The morning of January 4Th I called the doctor again and I said he just not right not eating, not drinking, and always weak.  They sent me straight to the ER it was about 9am, my biggest fear was he was dehydrated.  Hours past after the blood work and by 2:00 we had an answer.  Dr. P walked in and said “I’m sorry to say but your son has leukemia” I was in shock and my husband fell to the chair.  At this moment our lives were going to change forever.  The wait for answers wasn’t over there are a few types of leukemia and different risk levels of each, it could take days for some of those answers to return.  By the end of that night Sam had an iv in each arm, had gotten blood and platelet transfusions.
        Sam started treatments the next day first of which was his first of many to come spinal tap and bone marrow. In the first month he would have them done weekly he was put under so to not feel the horrible pain of a needle entering your back and into your bone.  During this month spent at the hospital he had x-rays, ultrasounds, and a PICC line placed (PICC is an inserted more permanent iv line). Thankfully all his meds and transfusions (which he needed a few of each) were thru the iv. During this time he was neutropenic and anyone who came to see him had to be completely germ free and wash hands immediately upon entering the room, if Sam left his room he had to wear a mask he was no contagious he just had a 0 immune system.  Towards the end of the month Sam had to learn how to take meds orally (very hard task since birth) and we were discharged after about 4 weeks stay inpatient.  Clinic was next step for treatment weekly but that was only place other then home he could be.
        During the month inpatient he developed an allergic reaction to at the time we thought was from an antibiotic but didn’t want to clear and had to call in a allergist. Sam was unhappy being poked and listened to , blood pressure, temperature by so many doctors so many times a day.  We also received the results of his leukemia type, he had ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) the best type to get if you had to get it. It is the most treatable and curable type, but we still had to wait to see if he was high, average, or low risk to tell which treatment type had to be done.
        February 14th he underwent his first real surgery, he had the PICC line removed and a Port placed (an under the skin access to his vein) he could now swim and bathe without worry of a tube hanging out.  Now the trauma of a needle poked at your chest each time you need treatment or blood drawn.  He was able to finally return to school with much caution by the last week of February.
        Here we are now June, Sam just turned 5, and seems to be doing good. We have had few set backs but many little complications along the way.  We have a long journey ahead, his last day of treatment with the help of prayer for no relapse is to be March 7, 2015.  That is no typo he has 3 years of treatment, he is considered in partial remission due to no sign of leukemia cells but until we hit 5 years with none he will not be considered cured of the disease.