Jay Kirby was thirteen in September 2009 when he was diagnosed with AML, an aggressive form of leukemia. As with so many others, Jay's diagnosis seemingly came 'out of the blue.' In those first few nightmarish days, Jay seemed mystified that he could have cancer when he had been feeling just fine.
Jay endured seven months of intensive inpatient chemotherapy at Brenner Children's Hospital, missing his entire eighth grade year. Extreme isolation is part of the treatment for AML, as the risk of infection and complications is so high. Therefore, Jay spent almost the entire seven months in the hospital and 'celebrated' every holiday in the hospital. One highlight of Jay's hospital stay was a surprise visit from his dog, Charlie, which the hospital allowed as a present for Jay's fourteenth birthday.
Jay has completed treatment for AML and is now in remission. He recently returned to school and is loving being a freshman and a normal school kid at Bishop McGuinness High School. Jay and his family would like to thank the Doctors and nurses of the Pediatric Oncology Unit, who helped Jay through such a long ordeal, and for being Jay's friend.
Update:
Jay is now a sophomore Biology major at Virginia Tech. He was one of only a few freshman that was selected to be a research associate doing Lupus research. Jay's goal is to go to Medical School one day.
The Childhood Cancer Ripple Effect
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