When Jack was 15 months old he was sleeping most the day and all night. After several tests and an ultrasound the doctor noticed a tumor in his stomach/lower pelvic area and we went straight to Children's Hospital in Omaha. After a CT scan and removing a smaller tumor above one testicle, they discovered that the tumor was cancerous. Jack was diagnosed with para-testicular rhabdomyosarcoma. Our treatment plan was to have chemotherapy treatments until the tumor was small enough to remove laparoscopically.
After the first chemotherapy treatment Jack's health was quickly going downhill. He was put into PICU, pediatric intensive care unit. Hours later, our nurse called an elective code as she could not get a read on Jack's blood pressure. His tumor ruptured and he was bleeding internally. After Jack was stable, he was rushed to surgery. The tumor was removed. It was the size of a rugby. A pack was put inside Jack's stomach until the next day, when he was taken back to surgery to sew his organs back in place (the large tumor had displaced his organs). Jack regained his strength after a couple weeks and was walking and talking again. He continued to take chemotherapy for 10 months. Our family also spent two and half months living in Houston Texas to receive a specialized radiation treatment, proton beam radiation therapy.
Jack received his last chemotherapy treatment the day after he turned two years old. He has now been in remission for 3 years and 3 months. He is currently in speech therapy and attends preschool in the afternoons. He is thriving in his day to day activities. He is happy and loves to be silly and laugh. He loves dogs and superheroes and is a very loving little boy.