Mike and I just got back from a fantastic retreat to our cabin. We didn't get to hike with our teammates back in Seattle, but we did get to discover an amazing trail just a few miles from our cabin up by Mt. Rainier called Skookum Flats. First we mountain biked it and then the next day my parents and Annika joined us on foot. It's a gorgeous rolling trail that is slowly being eaten away by the White River.
After getting home mid-afternoon on Monday and busily getting ready for a week that's already started I quick checked e-mail before bed and found this incredible story shared by a mom of a kiddo just 3 years older than Ani. We've got work to do!

Dylan was born on April 11th, 2001. He weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and was somewhere between 19 and 20 inches long! The first time he was measured, he was 20 inches and somehow he shrunk to 19 the next time he was measured- or more likely someone messed up!

He was always such a good baby and healthy too. I never had to take him to the doctor's much except for regular checkups. That changed in the winter of 2005/2006. It was right before Christmas when we first noticed little things with Dylan. He started to say that his legs hurt or his back hurt. We thought that he was probably just going through growing pains because he seemed fine otherwise and it did look like he was getting taller. There were times when he would say he hurt at bedtime and it kind of seemed like a ploy to stay up later. We never really gave it a second thought.

Through January he got sick a lot. A fever here and there, headaches, a little bit of a bloody nose. Nothing that seemed too unusual for the winter months. The rest of the family was pretty sick too. In February he really got sick. His color was pale and his energy level was really low. That was when I really thought something was wrong. The preschool even noticed that he just wasn’t himself. He started to say that his ears were hurting. He got a quick exam at the doctor’s and was treated for ear infections and pneumonia. He was given a course of antibiotics and was sent home. He seemed to recover from the ear infections and the pneumonia.

Dylan went to his dad’s for the weekend and when he got back, his color was worse. He was extremely pale and yellow looking. He also looked really bloated around his ribs. I took him back to the doctor’s and this time he saw a different doctor who took one look at him and asked if he’d had a blood test done the last time he was in. No, but it didn’t sound good. Why would they need to do a blood test? The doctor did a preliminary blood test at the office and about 15 minutes later he came back with some bad news. Bad is an understatement. Devastating would be a better term. Even that doesn’t really seem to fit. He said he could possibly have viral Parvo, but with all the other symptoms, it was more likely that he had Leukemia. It was like getting shot in the face with a shot gun. I was stunned. Leukemia. Cancer. Not possible! I thought we’d get more antibiotics, go home and he’d be fine. I was told to go home pack a bag. He was sending us to Mary Bridge Children’s hospital in Tacoma and that we’d probably be there for a while.

On February 22nd, 2006, Dylan was admitted into Mary Bridge Children's hospital where after numerous tests, it was confirmed that he had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. And the whirlwind began. He immediately began getting blood and platelet transfusions. There were lots of transfusions along the way, which made him feel a bit better.

On February 24th, they started treatment the first part of a three+ year treatment protocol. He had a spinal tap, bone marrow biopsy, and got his first round of chemo. They also installed a semi-permanent "PICC" line in his arm for transfusions, drawing blood for tests, and for IV injections. This was replaced a month and a half later with a port-a-cath.

On March 3rd, Dr. Irwin said he was doing well enough that he could go back home, and continue treatments from there. It was nice to be home. Within two weeks, he was in remission. He was considered an early rapid responder and fit in the low to standard risk group.

So far everything has gone pretty well. His response and reaction to treatment has been great. He's had a couple ER runs and an unexpected admit because of fevers, but they were taken care of quickly. No infections. Just viruses that ran their course without any problems. He has gone through the hard chemo and was delayed a few times due to low counts. In September 2006, he started maintenance chemo and will continue with that until May of 2009.