Caleb's story, written by his mother Sara:
Saturday, December 8 arrived and began like any other. Plans to go Christmas shopping were made. I had even planned on getting my Christmas cards sent out that day. When about 3 o'clock arrived the phone rang. I was busy with something so I just let the voice mail get it. A few minutes later I listened to the message. It was from our doctor and he wanted me to call him back right away. You know when your doctor calls you on a Saturday like that something is serious. When I got him on the phone all I heard was "I'm sorry" and "It looks like Leukemia." At that moment my whole world stopped. It was as if time itself was standing still. Inside my head I was screaming "NO, NO, NO!!" because Leukemia=Cancer=Death. When you hear news like that you can't help but think of those things. Having lost and buried a baby girl (Caleb's little sister) that I lost during pregnancy I have had that heart wrenching experience of losing a child. Surely this couldn't be happening. This was some terrible nightmare that I could wake up from. I couldn't lose another child, my baby boy, my Caleb. At some point I realized the doctor was still talking to me. So I hastily scribbled his instructions down and hung up the phone. I tried my best to hold it together as we quickly called family and friends to make arrangements for our other children. I tore through the house grabbing what I could find to throw in a bag so we could be on our way to Primary Children's Hospital It was a very snowy night, so the trip took longer than usual but they were waiting for us when we entered the Emergency Room. More blood had to be taken for tests that needed to be run and they got things moving as quickly as they could. It was just after midnight, so technically Sunday morning before they got us upstairs and into his room. Caleb's doctor told us they would have results by noon that would tell us just exactly what type of Leukemia he had and therefore what treatment he would need to receive. His blood counts were low so before the doctor left for the night they gave him some blood to help his body to start to gain some strength. She told us to get some rest and she would see us at about noon. There is no way to describe the type of sheer exhaustion my husband and I felt at the moment. Gone were all the "how" and "why" questions. We were just completely numb. It was taking every bit of strength I had to just continue to breathe in and out. So much had happened so fast and now all we could do was sit and wait until morning. I spent most of that long night on the iPad searching for everything I could find. I needed to know all I could so I knew what we could be facing in the morning. The prayers of my heart and that of others were the only thing that got us through that very long first night. We met with the doctors that afternoon and learned that Caleb had Pre-b Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or otherwise known as ALL. It is a Leukemia that is treatable.
Saturday, December 8 arrived and began like any other. Plans to go Christmas shopping were made. I had even planned on getting my Christmas cards sent out that day. When about 3 o'clock arrived the phone rang. I was busy with something so I just let the voice mail get it. A few minutes later I listened to the message. It was from our doctor and he wanted me to call him back right away. You know when your doctor calls you on a Saturday like that something is serious. When I got him on the phone all I heard was "I'm sorry" and "It looks like Leukemia." At that moment my whole world stopped. It was as if time itself was standing still. Inside my head I was screaming "NO, NO, NO!!" because Leukemia=Cancer=Death. When you hear news like that you can't help but think of those things. Having lost and buried a baby girl (Caleb's little sister) that I lost during pregnancy I have had that heart wrenching experience of losing a child. Surely this couldn't be happening. This was some terrible nightmare that I could wake up from. I couldn't lose another child, my baby boy, my Caleb. At some point I realized the doctor was still talking to me. So I hastily scribbled his instructions down and hung up the phone. I tried my best to hold it together as we quickly called family and friends to make arrangements for our other children. I tore through the house grabbing what I could find to throw in a bag so we could be on our way to Primary Children's Hospital It was a very snowy night, so the trip took longer than usual but they were waiting for us when we entered the Emergency Room. More blood had to be taken for tests that needed to be run and they got things moving as quickly as they could. It was just after midnight, so technically Sunday morning before they got us upstairs and into his room. Caleb's doctor told us they would have results by noon that would tell us just exactly what type of Leukemia he had and therefore what treatment he would need to receive. His blood counts were low so before the doctor left for the night they gave him some blood to help his body to start to gain some strength. She told us to get some rest and she would see us at about noon. There is no way to describe the type of sheer exhaustion my husband and I felt at the moment. Gone were all the "how" and "why" questions. We were just completely numb. It was taking every bit of strength I had to just continue to breathe in and out. So much had happened so fast and now all we could do was sit and wait until morning. I spent most of that long night on the iPad searching for everything I could find. I needed to know all I could so I knew what we could be facing in the morning. The prayers of my heart and that of others were the only thing that got us through that very long first night. We met with the doctors that afternoon and learned that Caleb had Pre-b Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or otherwise known as ALL. It is a Leukemia that is treatable.
This would not be an easy journey by any means. We learned that his treatment of chemo would last 3 1/2 years. The first nine months or so would be weekly visits back to Primarys for chemotherapy. But first they had to get him stable and begin treament. On Monday, December 10, 2012 Caleb began his long courageous journey to get healthy again. They took him into surgery to have a central line or port placed in his chest that is used to give him his chemo and to draw bloodwork. They also took a bone marrow sample and did a Lumbar Puncture to see if the Leukemia had spread to his spinal fluid and brain. Fortunately the Leukemia had not spread. Oh we were so grateful! But his bone marrow came back showing almost 90% Leukemia cells. We spent the next 5 days in the hospital getting him treatment and well enough to come home. We were so glad when they had his port put in, as scary as it was. Because now all the bloodwork that needed to be done could be done so much easier. Instead of 4 nurses, myself and my husband trying to hold him down while they tried to draw blood from his feet because his chubby little hands weren't working to draw from anymore. All the while Caleb screaming and pleading for us to stop as tears were flowing down the cheeks of my husband and I and our sweet Caleb. That one is forever etched into my mind and I really wish it wasn't. It is one of the most difficult things to see your child in pain and feel so utterly helpless as to what to do. Our first few weeks at home were difficult getting used to caring for our now terminally ill child. He had several medcations that needed to be taken at home and still does and will for the next 3 years. Our visits back to Primary's are on a weekly basis and he gets his chemotherapy and treatments.
Now 6 months into our journey I can see we have somehow found a rhythm in all this craziness. It is not easy by any means. We do have some really difficult days and Caleb will soon be starting a very hard phase of chemo. Yet this is our life now and this is how it will be for several years to come. We have found a way to see beyond the dark and difficult and are looking ahead to the light in the future. Caleb is a fighter. He has taken all of this and everything that has been done to him like a true hero. I am in awe of the strength that this cute little boy with the big brown eyes has. I feel so lucky to be his mother. He has taught us all about strength and what true courage is all about.
The money raised will go toward Caleb's medical expenses and travel to and from the hospital for the next 3 years. You can follow his blog, or Facebook page for updates.
The money raised will go toward Caleb's medical expenses and travel to and from the hospital for the next 3 years. You can follow his blog, or Facebook page for updates.