Our healthy, active, bright and happy two-year-old son began to feel ill in mid-August 2009. I noticed a swollen area on the left side of his neck and promptly took him to our pediatricians office. Two weeks later after being treated for strep and pneumonia with no improvement and his health declining we were sent to the Children’s Hospital at St. Francis in Tulsa, OK. In the following days the earth was ripped from beneath our feet as oncologists began to tell us that our son had neuroblastoma, a solid tumor cancer and that it was stage IV with a high rate of relapse and that the coming days for our son would be filled with a grueling treatment regimen. We were told there would be tests, scans, surgeries for biopsy, port placement, chemotherapy, clinic visits, hospitalizations, stem cell harvest and transplant, more high-dose chemotherapy, accutane, antibody infusions as well as the potential risks of infection, risks of damage to all major organs, hearing loss, and many more side effects throughout his life. It became clear to us that the odds were against us, it also became clear that we would fight with all our might.
I never experienced the feeling of complete and utter helplessness until Emmett began his fight against cancer. Instinct says that I should be able to protect him from all harm and that if any harm should come to him I would undoubtedly be able to make it ‘all better’ - Not so in the world of childhood cancer. My heart leaped when I saw a call out to Moms from Miss Tiffany Beamer as a PAC2 initiative to join a group of amazing women planning to take action in this fight for our children. I made the commitment to join St. Baldrick’s team “46 Mommas Shave for the Brave. I am doing this to eradicate this feeling of helplessness because I won’t let cancer call the shots, we are not victims, we are Mothers and there are ways we can begin to take back what cancer has taken from us. I can help to raise awareness, As my fellow NB mom and 46 Mommas team mate writes, "We will work to raise money to secure better, less toxic treatments and increased cure rates for pediatric cancers." I can be a voice for my son and the 46 other children diagnosed today, and tomorrow, and each day following. I am only one person but with 45 other Mommas I have found strength, inspiration and empowerment.