ROWE

To be a curiously vibrant 7 year old and one day...your world stops! Your stomach keels you over in excruciating pain, your eyes can't handle any light that streams in, you are so weak you need help to stand...makes you wonder, and scared!  This is what happened to Rowe! On a freezing cold February day, being rushed to the hospital for the second time, having had fevers up to 105.3 for three days straight; his family was told he had a rare form of leukemia. He was bleeding internally and was very sick. Rowe had to stop his life of active outdoor adventures and creating amazing art pieces; he was admitted into the hospital having multiple daily blood transfusions. The doctors started chemotherapy right away, even before the gene confirmation returned to say he had Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. He is the youngest of all the patients that the many doctors have ever seen with this diagnosis.  Our family was told it would be a hard induction. We had no idea what that meant. The doctors were even shocked at how incredibly hard these next eight weeks would be for this little boy.  Daily blood transfusions, multiple FFP and platelet transfusions a week, daily chemotherapy, liver & spleen five times its normal size full of painful cancer cells, severely neutropenic for 22 days allowing an infection of some kind to invade his jaw. This infection swelled Rowe's face and brought fear into Infectious Disease Doctors as well as the Oncology Team, not to mention horrendous pain to this amazingly strong 7 year old boy!  Rowe was transferred to another hospital that had a surgeon who was willing to operate. He had an operation and the swelling in his face subsided as did the pain. Feeling better was an understatement! Now Rowe is completing Consolidation #1 and is spreading his magnetic smile to all who pass him. Migraines and nausea still debilitate his days, however, he recovers well to allow the sunshine to warm his skin and fresh air to bring in new life!

Hopecam was so instrumental in his recovery. It allowed communication with his classmates, family, and friends. The generosity of Rowe's Kindle gave excitement to a child who had to take on more than anyone should. On some very difficult days the freedom to play on his device or giving Rowen the ability to be with his brother & sister at a time when miles kept us away were treasured.

Many thanks to all you do for this children! Our gratitude is immense!