What it means to fight ALL
Traveling over 275 miles roundtrip to the University of Alabama’s Children’s Hospital, Compass to Care kid Alex has fought ALL with resilience, and the help of his devoted mom Priscilla. ALL stands for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and is one of the most common forms of childhood cancer. This month, Priscilla sat down with us to reflect on Alex’s treatment journey so far.
Interview with a Compass to Care mom
How old is Alex?
Alex is 12 years old.
What is your favorite thing about Alex’s personality?
The most favorite thing about Alex’s personality is his resilience. He never gives up on anything that he wants to accomplish or defeat.
How did you find out Alex had cancer?
Alex had nosebleeds during season changes for a couple of years. They were categorized with allergies. However, in August of this year, Alex had a nosebleed that was extremely difficult to stop and headaches for a day or so. We set an appointment with his pediatrician and a number of blood tests were performed. That was when we received the diagnosis of ALL.
What is the hardest part about traveling to treatment?
The hardest part of traveling to treatment would be the anxiety coming to clinic every week, the feeling of not knowing if Alex would be healthy enough to come home after his treatment or if an extended stay was needed.
Has anything changed due to Covid-19?
COVID 19 has changed everything from daily routines to common practices that we do every day. Especially with Alex’s condition. Everything from washing our clothes with liquid sanitizer to not letting Alex go around family members due to his weaken immune system, along with the chance of catching this deadly disease, is necessary every day. We have obtained a need to clean everything to keep Alex safe.
Has Compass to Care had an impact on your treatment journey?
Compass to Care is helping our family deal with this hospital stay with little less worry about finances. This organization has helped us to able to focus more on the care of our son and not the worry of gas or where we can stay during this trying time in our lives.
What would you say to our donors, if you had the chance?
To the donors of this wonderful organization, thank you. I hope to be one of you in the upcoming months and help other families be relieved of certain responsibilities during those tough times.
What advice would you give to other parents whose child was just diagnosed with cancer?
To other parents just going through their own personal journey with childhood cancer, be strong for your child but also take care of yourself. You are no good to helping them if you are not taking care of yourself. Parents like us tend to try and take on so much and strength to take on everything takes over.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Organizations like Compass to Care are out there to help make this journey less bumpy. The uplift and turn over of your lives is already hard to deal with. And always remember to walk by faith, not by sight. There will be days that things don’t look like they are going to be alright, but they will be. Pray and hope for the best, but prepare yourself for anything.
Thank you, Priscilla, for sharing your journey with us! Click here to find out how you can help more kids like Alex.