All-Star Easton

For 7-year-old Easton, there wasn’t time to process his cancer diagnosis. He needed treatment, and he needed it immediately.

Easton’s mom, Jackie, learned of his cancer diagnosis in the hallway of the Emergency Room where she had taken him because something wasn’t right. He suddenly had two black eyes, bruising, and little red dots on his legs. Lately, he had also been tired and was throwing up randomly.

From the ER, Easton was airlifted to a hospital out of state. He had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and there was no time to waste; the infection was spreading throughout his body.

As his helicopter took off, Jackie’s mind turned to his traumatic birth. Her newborn son had been life-flighted to the same hospital he was going to now, because his heart rate was elevated.

It was unimaginable that her little boy was on another life-flight just a few years later. She went home, packed a few things, and drove carefully to the hospital. Easton was with his dad, Tony; and his stepdad, Zach, started the long drive from Florida, where he was working.

Everything changed in that moment.

Easton’s cancer treatment would be a two-year-long journey. His family had decisions to make about work and how they would handle his leukemia treatment.

Jackie immediately took unpaid leave to be with him in the hospital. Once he was discharged, they hoped to settle into a schedule where she could take him to appointments and work when she could.

Cancer had other plans. Easton was allergic to one of his chemotherapy medicines, so he had to switch to one that had to be administered multiple times a week. That meant multiple trips to the clinic every single week instead of once.  

Zach cut his hours to care for Easton’s siblings, and even though both employers were very understanding, their income dropped dramatically.

A new house, which had been very affordable when they were both working full-time, now became anxiety-inducing. At the same time, their expenses had increased. Gas for added trips to the clinic and food out to accommodate their busier schedules all added up.

Pinky Swear Foundation was able to provide an Orange Envelope that helped bring relief and joy during a tough time.

Easton and his mom opened it and read the Letters of Encouragement and the note about Mitch together, making a decision on how they would spend the gift card.

“We used it for groceries, including baking stuff. We bake as a family for Christmas, and put it all in tins to give instead of gifts. A trip to the grocery store always costs a little bit more in December for that reason. Because of Pinky Swear, we did not have to charge it to a credit card or pick and choose what to buy when we add on the baking expenses,” Jackie said.

Later on in their journey, the family received a gas and grocery gift card through the Pinky Swear All-Star Fund.

“It was a huge relief. We did a big order of bulk snacks, especially for sports, so we are not buying concessions. And then it will help with gas. With his appointments next week, we will fill the car with gas. And then extra treats on the way, like lemonade and coffee,” Jackie explained.

Jackie wishes that more people understood the financial implications of a childhood cancer diagnosis. Parents cannot use their short- or long-term disability because it is their child; all leave is unpaid. And of course there are employers who will not hold jobs open.

“Caring for your child with cancer is a full-time job,” said Jackie. “A fever alone can take up a whole week of a series of events you weren’t planning for. Trips to the hospital, stays, trying to find care for your other kids; it’s not just the scheduled appointments. There is always uncertainty that something will come up, and you must accommodate it."

Additionally, Jackie is homeschooling Easton. That itself is tough, having to learn the new way to teach math, and not being able to do lessons on the days they go to the hospital.

She is proud of him, though; he is now back in school with his classmates and doing amazingly. She is now able to work when he is in school, although she worries about keeping him healthy during flu season.

For Easton, his childhood is wished away.

“He says that he cannot wait until he is ten because then the cancer will be gone. No child should want to fast-forward their life,” Jackie said.

The whole family feels the weight of childhood cancer.

“It’s hard as a mom,” explained Jackie. “To watch one child continue as normal and know that the other is missing out. It steals a piece of their childhood they will never get back. And the other siblings, it changes everyone in its own way.”

Easton’s little sister knows more about childhood cancer than most adults and worries that she will get sick and lose her hair like Easton when she turns eight.

Through it all, Easton is a fun-loving, outgoing, sassy boy. He is competitive and loves flag football and baseball. And he loves to dance.

“He is my dancing queen,” said Jackie. “Music comes on, and his body takes over. At his Kindergarten graduation, he literally danced up the stage, and the entire audience laughed.”

To our donors, Jackie said, “We are so thankful and grateful for the help. It does go a long way. It just takes off a little bit of stress as parents. They should know how selfless an act it is to donate to people they don’t even know.”