A year ago, it all changed a year ago... - Journals

Vicky's Journal

Ramblings from my dark side

A year ago, it all changed a year ago...
Aug 13, 2010 at 10:40 AM
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- v_clar
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Last year Aug. 13 was the last "normal" day in my family. I don't even remember what it was we had done that day. I only know that my school semester was to begin in just 11 days and I was excited and nervous because it was my first full semester at school.

Then the 14th came and my world imploded for the umpteenth time in the past five years. My hubs, our daughter and myself are at a local electronics store looking at TVs because we wanted to get a new one with some extra cash we had at the time. Well, hubs gets a phone call and walks off a little ways while I talk to the sales guy.

Shortly my daughter comes and says "Mom, dad says you need to come NOW!" It scared me and I was right to be scared. My hubs had found out that our 14 year old son was in the ER and had been there for about 4 hours!! (He was in a group home for behavior issues, stemming from his ASD, ADHD, Bi-Polar, PTSD) He had been sick with a cold for about a month and a half at this time and when we had taken him to the ER the doctor said he probably had asthma which caused his shortness of breath, and she had not even taken any x-rays. I wish we would have pushed for them.

We head to the ER and find our son and the rep from the group home in the inner waiting area. About two minutes after we get there and the doctor comes in and asks the rep if "the parents are local and can they get here?" He's told we're there and he says good and takes us to a small room.

There is an x-ray on the light board and when I see it I know exactly what's wrong - cancer. My first born, my baby boy, my child had cancer.

What follows is a whirlwind of plans for treatment, and doctors, and a lot of tears and prayers.

Today, almost one year later, my boy is fully cancer free and a normal kid - almost. He will always have issues due to his ASD etc., but he's healthy. He eats me out of house and home, he sleeps all day and his teen angst is driving me up the wall!! And I thank God each and every day for not taking my baby away from me.

He just walked out the door for school just like millions of other kids and I sit here with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat knowing that my child is well. The only physical reminders of our journey through this year is the scar on his neck from his biopsy, the three pinpoint tattoos on his torso to mark his radiation and the fact that his hairline in the back has risen. He will have to have PET scans repeatedly over the years along with other tests to make sure he's cancer free but that is so much easier than chemotherapy and radiation again. And it sure as heck beats loosing him.

Today I am looking back on this last year and marveling that we've gotten through and life has once again become "normal" for us.

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