During this stay, Amelia had her first surgery and was diagnosed on Saturday prior to her discharge with a stage IV germ cell tumor (yolk-sac tumor). It had spread to her liver and possibly her lungs, but her CXR was unclear. Amelia underwent four rounds of chemo, each round lasting five days, but usually six to seven days total.

“Receiving a child’s cancer diagnosis is something I would never wish on any parent, but having no option but to deal with it, having organizations to support you makes a big difference. Even a small gift card means so much, covering a mortgage is unbelievably jaw-dropping.”

They ran further tests and Clo was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma. The doctor set out an 18-month “head to toe” treatment plan that must be followed. Mia and Clo did not leave the hospital for 15 days.

May 2020 was a bittersweet time for Rowan and her mom Rachel. Rachel graduated from veterinary school at the exact same time that 7-month old Rowan was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma, a type of liver cancer which affects a few very young children.

In January 2020, Kaleb was diagnosed with AML Leukemia (Acute Myelogenous Leukemia). This is a rapidly progressing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. It was found relatively early and was still showing up only in his bone marrow and not in his blood stream yet. This type of cancer is quite rare and even more so in someone of his age.

Olivia was admitted to the hospital 7 additional times, but 4 were just for high dose chemotherapy. For each of those chemo admissions, she would stay a week. She was turning 9 on October 20th and was given the choice between spending her birthday or Halloween in hospital. She chose her birthday, what a choice for a 9-year to have to make!

Sheila noticed her daughter, Walasia, was having issues with balance and short-term memory. Then she began slurring her speech and throwing up, prompting Sheila to seek answers. It took a full year of medical investigating to receive the horrific diagnosis: Walasia’s symptoms were being caused by a cancerous brain tumor. “I was worried that my daughter might die; she was so quiet,” said Sheila. “She asked me, ‘Am I going to die?’ I told her that God had her back, and she didn’t ask me again.”

Although Autumn seems like your average little girl who loves to play Roblox and other video games, go swimming, and ride her bike, everyone who follows her story knows she is anything but average – she is also a cancer fighting warrior. There is good news: Autumn is now looking forward to days of a little less fight, and a lot more fun.

“Jackson was a typical three-year-old boy who loved playing outside and learning” explained Jackson’s mom as she described what life was once like for her family. “I stayed home with Jackson and his younger brother, Hayden, and cared for another child as well. I was a full-time student through an online school. My husband worked as a store manager. We were all very involved within our church.”