Q&A With All-Star Skyler

Childhood cancer changes everything. If you’ve been following Pinky Swear Foundation for a while now, you know that we share family stories to bring awareness to the complexities they face when they hear the words “your child has cancer.” Typically, we interview these families after they are finished with treatment. All-Star Skyler, his mom, LaTori, and dad, Brian, were gracious enough to share their story as it unfolds. 

This blog is a follow-up to our first interview with their family. Let’s set the scene. 

15-year-old Skyler lives in Oklahoma with his parents Brian and LaTori. Before November 2023, he was very active at school. He was a part of the basketball and track teams and got straight A’s. He would often help other students with homework when they needed it. He also ran his own photography business.

Skyler started experiencing knee pain. There is a family history of Osgood-Schlatter disease. His older brother went through it, so his family assumed that’s what it was. However, the doctor was concerned that it was more than that. He referred Skyler to get an MRI. That’s when everything changed.

Through the MRI, they discovered that Skyler had a tumor. It was soon biopsied to learn what kind of tumor it was, and soon LaTori and Brian heard the news that their son had osteosarcoma, a type of cancer. 

Skyler stopped going to school right away after his diagnosis. He started 10 weeks of chemo and was admitted to a hospital in Tulsa, about an hour away. The whole family stayed with him, sleeping on an air mattress, getting take-out food, and driving back and forth when they had to. 

Skyler would have to relearn how to walk, and the family's finances took a big hit. The Pinky Swear Community provided support for them in multiple ways. Hear how they’re doing now!

How have things been since our initial interview in March?
“Things have gotten a lot better,” said Skyler. “I am nearing the end of the tunnel. I have had a few setbacks because of my counts which have pushed my chemo back a few weeks. Because the chemo had killed so many cancers, they let me do one chemo less which helped, but about four times I had to wait a few days and then come back to see if my counts were good enough.”

“We live about one hour from the hospital,” explained Skyler’s mom, LaTori. “About four times this summer, we drove to the clinic to find out that Sky’s counts were too low for chemo. Chemo lowers those counts further meaning severe neutropenia and a high likelihood of infection. So we would pack our bags, and hope for the best, only to be told to come back in a few days. That was frustrating.”

“Not being around people has been hard for me,” said Skyler. “Being able to stay in contact with my friends through social media has made it better, but I have seen my friends going to the gym and playing basketball and that has been tough. I would have been there with the team doing drills and conditioning. Instead, I have been doing physical therapy, learning to walk again, and building up to jogging, and now some jumping.”

“They have been impressed with me; I am progressing way faster than expected. I stay on top of the workouts, and they can tell those kids who do that and the ones who don’t,” explained Skyler. “My mental state is pretty good. I know things will work out in the end. A lot of my motivation comes from wanting to be back to where I was or eventually even ahead of where I was in the end. I started weight bearing at the beginning of May and now I can run slowly and jump. When they comment on how fast I am progressing, it inspires me to do more. Of course, though you can’t push yourself beyond your limits,” he said.

“Sky is really good at listening to his body,” said LaTori. “He works really hard, but also he knows when to stop.”

What have been the hardest things during this time?
“The hardest things have been trying to keep my head up and stay positive,” Skyler said. “The past few times my chemo got pushed back so I try to always look to next week. Next season is on my mind too. Also, the chemo makes me feel nauseous, which is no fun at all.”

“It’s not been a typical summer,” added LaTori. “We haven’t had a summer vacation. And now we are already looking forward to next summer. With being a teacher, I usually use the summer- time to plan lots of fun things, but this summer we have spent a lot of time hanging around the house, it feels like COVID. For Brian, Sky’s dad, it has been tough. He’s in real estate and he hasn’t wanted to be around too many people (for Skyler’s risk of infection) which makes his job difficult. Sky’s big brother has been the biggest help. He is going into his 3rd year of college but is home for the summer. The boys have always been really close, and he brings a lot of humor to Sky’s situation. It’s been so positive that they can hang.”

What positive things have happened?
“I was cleared to drive again a few weeks ago,” explained Skyler. “I had only been driving for two to three weeks before I found out I had cancer. I had just finished Drivers Education, but it all got put on hold. On my birthday on August 28, I will get my license, so I need the driving practice and it’s something I have been doing with my brother. My parents are too nervous to be in the car with me!” 

“I am so ready to get it over with and get back to normal; a new normal, it’s kind of like something that I will always have in my past and there’s nothing I can do about that,” said Skyler. “I have learned from everything I have gone through. I have learned everything about what cancer is, about the nurses in the hospital and their lives, how things work in the hospital, and of course about myself and my body, how it reacts to different things. I learned that I don’t like blood, or hearing my heart beating on the monitor, things like that.”

How have the past few months been balancing work and treatment for your parents?
“For me being a schoolteacher, summers are our time off,” said LaTori. “Once school ended, it was a relief that I no longer had to balance my job and Skyler’s treatment especially since the hospital is one hour away and we have been back and forth so many times. The school was great letting me be here even during the school year, I am so blessed with my job in general, it meant that I haven’t missed a day or night in the hospital. When Sky is here, so am I. With Brian it’s been different, it’s affected his productivity to some extent, and he has been trying to balance work and being there for his son.”

How has that impacted your family financially?
“The cost of gas and food has been a huge portion of impact on us,” explained LaTori. “All the treatment is in Tulsa. Clinic visits, physical therapy too, so there’s been a lot of driving back and forth. It’s one hour away. When we are in the hospital, we all have to buy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The hospital food is not good. He started out selecting things on the menu, but not for long. We either go out and bring food back or get Door Dash. There is a cafeteria in the hospital, but you have to pay of course. It’s easy to spend $40 on one meal, $200 in just a few days. Today I brought lunch meat and cheese, or I’ll make spaghetti and bring that to keep the costs down when I can.” 

“Hospital food definitely isn’t good,” said Skyler. “Also, the chemo has affected my tastes for some foods, I can no longer eat spicy foods which I used to love.” 

PSF helped your family with a rent payment in May. Tell me about that. How did it feel? What difference did it make?
“That honestly was a big relief, it provided extra money to spend on the food we need,” said LaTori. “We were able to put the money from that month’s rent into other expenses. It felt great to know that there are donors out there who are willing to help families in need and take the burden off our shoulders for a bit.”

Skyler added, “My parents told me that Pinky Swear was going to pay our rent. It made me happy to see the weight being lifted off their shoulders. I realize how expensive things are and how they can add up so fast.”

What are you most excited about as you complete your treatment?
“I am most excited about getting back to playing sports,” Skyler answered. “I go back to see the surgeon in mid-August, so right now, I am not sure how it will look to play basketball and run track. I am in PT (physical therapy) doing what I can, I have started shooting the basketball. School starts on August 15, and my season starts in November. I am also looking forward to seeing my friends and being back in school. My biggest goal is to start school on time.”

“I am excited to be at this point,” said LaTori. “It’s bittersweet because of our great relationships with his nurses, it’s like a second home. He is hoping to ring the bell on August 8th.”

On top of being passionate about bringing awareness to childhood cancer, Skyler and his family also did a fundraiser for Pinky Swear Foundation to help other families like them. Here was their response when we asked them why Pinky Swear Foundation.

Why did you decide to do a fundraiser?
“My parents came up with it,” explained Skyler. “It’s a way to give back to organizations that have helped us. I am doing my part to help others who helped me. We have items to auction off and we will see what we raise. The auction will be online, people can bid online. So far, we have a 2 cabin experiences and tickets to a football game.”

You can read Skyler's full story here. Donate to support more families like his today so they can focus on their child's help rather than finances.