Braeden's Story
My three-year-old son Braeden, was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) on September 22, 2005. Up until that point, Braeden and I had been living with my mom and sister. I am a single parent and had been accepted to the accelerated nursing program at Creighton University that started in January of 2006.
The day that Braeden was diagnosed, we were admitted into the hospital. From that day until the first part of May 2006, we spent most of that time living in the hospital with only a few weeks off. I, of course, stayed with Braeden the whole time because he was so young, and I couldn't imagine not being there with him.
After his second round of chemotherapy, the Doctor's realized what they were up against. Most kids are usually in remission after two rounds and Braeden still had 30% leukemia in his bone marrow. He endured two more rounds of chemotherapy before he received a stem cell transplant on February 1, 2006. Braeden got pretty sick with Graft vs. Host Disease. When we finally got out the first of May, we thought we were in the clear and our lives were back on track. Braeden was in remission.
I had been accepted to Creighton again and was taking my last two prerequisites, so I could start classes in August. In July, Braeden was having some symptoms so he underwent a bone marrow biopsy. He had relapsed. It was very rare for someone to relapse so quickly after transplant and it hurt his prognosis. We were devastated. This was worse that when he was first diagnosed, because we thought everything was okay after transplant and he was running out of options for treatment. We were admitted into the hospital again. Braeden got some more chemotherapy and the Doctors gave him some more of his donor's stem cells. Within a month Braeden was cancer free again. We thought it was a miracle, he didn't even get sick.
In December, Braeden's left eye became droopy. He has always had a lazy eye; we just thought it was getting worse. His oncologist even sent us to a neuro-opthamologist to see if anything needed to get done. By the end of December, his eye was bulging and painful. He came in for a biopsy, and they discovered a chloroma 5-6 cm in size. A chloroma is a mass of Leukemia cells. Thankfully, the relapse was local to that area and was not in his marrow. However, it was very apparent that his disease was very aggressive. We were admitted again December 22. The next day he began immediate radiation to relieve the pressure on his optic nerve and brain. He went through 2 ½ weeks of radiation than 5 days of continuous chemotherapy. Braeden's condition was very rare, so his Doctor consulted with the Children's Oncology Group for recommendations for treatment. In the end, it was decided he would need a "mini-transplant." Braeden has received so much treatment in the last 18 months he's about reached his threshold. We're in the hospital right now. Braeden is getting another 7 days of chemotherapy then get more of his donor's stem cells next week. The Doctor's are hopeful that this could end his battle. If that is the case, I will start Creighton University in August.
My son is so amazing, I admire him. He's very resilient and always so happy. The staff here at the hospital is amazing and we have a lot of support from friends and family. I cannot begin to explain the roller coaster we've been on and how it feels to know your child's future/prognosis is so uncertain. What breaks my heart the most is the loss of his last 18 months. He's had to endure so much pain. He can't be around other kids because he's immuno-suppressed. He can't be in the sun very long in the summer to avoid sunburn. He's missed out on so much. His childhood is supposed to be carefree and innocent, not taking pills and living in a hospital.
This organization has been a godsend. I haven't been able to work since this started and I don't receive child support, so it's been a huge struggle. I have car payments, insurance, cell phone bills, credit card bills, student loans, etc. I wish I had discovered Angels Among Us sooner. Families with sick children have enough on their minds without having to worry about how they're going to pay the bills. Thank you for helping us out and making this nightmare a little bit easier!
Unfortunately, Braeden lost his battle with cancer. Braeden passed away April 23, 2007
