The Beginning of Round 2

So Monday was Mason’s first day back at CHOP. He started his second round of chemotherapy that night. While I do wish he could have stayed home for a few more days, I’m glad he’s back. The sooner he starts and finishes each round of chemo, the sooner he comes home for good. That day is the most important day of all.

Originally, his new room was on the same floor, but the opposite side. This room was smaller than the last one, and apparently, there was only room for Mason to sleep in it. As we all know, my mom spends virtually every night in the hospital with Mason. All she had in that new room was a couch to sleep on. Of course that had to change. My mom and Mason got moved to another room around 11:30 that night. This room is bigger than the first one we were in!! I told Mason tons of sleepovers await us over Spring break, and it is definitely going to be a good time.

We did, however, get some not so good news on Monday. The immediate test results that he got on Thursday saying his leukemia cells were gone revealed a different prognosis than that of the results from the more extensive look at his cells sent all the way to Seattle. Those test results found more leukemia cells than they found in the quick look on Thursday. With the results of the extensive test came the news that yes, Mason will in fact need a bone marrow transplant. Sometime soon, Morgan, Parker, and I will get tested to find out if one of us is a match. We have to get approval for the test first because it is pretty expensive, and they want to make sure that they’re not testing us for no reason.

We have been thrown yet another curve ball, but I think we all agree that Mason knows how to hit them out of the park. We know he’ll be fine, and we know that these bone marrow transplants are very successful. There will be a bit of recovery time for both Mason and the donor, but I know that I believe that in these transplant cases, the recovery, even if it’s bad, is nothing in comparison to what you have done for the recipient.

Every day I’ll be praying that we find a match for Mason, and I hope that all of you will be as well. I pray for all of the kids suffering in similar situations. We’re keeping our heads up and Mason especially is being positive. He’s the most positive out of all of us, and he’s honestly the greatest inspiration we could ever ask for. Sorry it took so long for this post to go up. Hopefully the next one won’t take this long! 

Good News, Great News, the Best News

Hey everyone it’s Mason. I have AMAZING news. Well first, I was scheduled to have a test to check my bone marrow for any more Leukemia cells on Monday. It had to be rescheduled. Why? Well I ate a waffle… whoops. I forgot I wasn’t supposed to eat after 11 p.m. the night before. My dad woke me up and I got up, walked down stairs and started to eat my waffles. My dad called my name and for some reason that triggered something in my brain and immediately I said, “OH NO! I wasn’t supposed to eat anything!” Oh boy…. Of course my mom was a little upset. My dad, being my dad, tried to take the blame for not reminding me. Oh no, it was completely my fault. Sorry mom and dad! They rescheduled the test to Wednesday. I woke up Wednesday morning and walked out my door and ran into some paper, taped from the right of my door to the staircase. What did it say? “MASON, NO FOOD!” Well dad you did a good job of reminding me this time! I was so hungry and it was really hard not to eat anything. My dad and I drove to CHOP that morning. I finally met my Primary Doctor, Dr. Greene. I always thought Dr. Greene was a man. Well, I was wrong. Dr. Greene is a woman and she talked to us basically about where we are going from here. If I need a bone marrow transplant I’ll have another round of chemotherapy and then the transplant. You all may think, oh then you’re done after the transplant! Well after the transplant it takes a long time for your blood levels to rise again; therefore, I would not be able to play sports ‘till next spring. Uh-oh! Well after we talked to Dr. Greene we went to the sedation unit only for the Sedation Doctor to say she was scared of giving me the medicine to put me to sleep during the test. I had small crackling in my lungs when I would breathe and she wanted the Anesthesiologist to do the test. Yes, they sent us back to our house, again. So yesterday, we finally got the test done. You guys will get the results soon enough.

Yesterday when I was at the hospital, the lady at the check-in desk called my name. When we were done there I turn around only to here a voice say “Are you Mason?” Wow. I remember hearing about a kid from my travel baseball team having a tumor and had been going through chemotherapy. We had never met before because we were supposed to be on the same team this upcoming season. Dylan does not live close to Philadelphia but he has to come to CHOP very often. I know he’s going through something a little different then my chemotherapy, but chemotherapy is chemotherapy… it sucks. I ask all of you to keep my new friend Dylan in your prayers and also his family because they are going through something very similar. Thank you.

Oh so you guys are probably wondering about the good news… I don’t know if you’re ready to hear it yet so let me continue with some of my stories. So my sister Morgan, who attends Elon University (Go Phoenix!) in North Carolina, was home last weekend when I was home. Nothing’s better than having the whole family here at home. It’s safe to say that it’s that best feeling in the world. So here’s the good news… The doctors gave me a few extra days because Morgan is coming home again tomorrow for a week and a half because she’s on Spring Break! We all get to be together for a little longer!

You may think that’s not that good of news but it’s great for all of us! Okay, okay time for the REALLY good news. My mom and I were in target as my mom’s phone rang. She answers; it’s Dr. Greene. I’m a little nervous, but I know either way that I can get through it. My mom gives me a thumbs up. WOW. Dr. Greene was SO excited. There was not a trace of Leukemia cells in my bone marrow. This is the best news I’ve gotten in awhile, actually my entire life! TAKE THAT CANCER YOU CAN’T TAKE US DOWN. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF US AND ONLY ONE OF YOU. WE ARE UNSTOPPABLE. I still must go through three more rounds of chemo but I don’t care. THE CHEMOTHERAPY WORKS. This is like a boxing match. I knocked my opponent out in the first round but I’m going to fight harder and harder the next three rounds and each round will just get easier. Even though I knocked him out, I want him to know who he’s actually messing with and make sure he knows not to come back. So he knows not to try and fight me again. He picked the wrong opponent. Sorry buddy. Granted, they still have to send the tests to Seattle to make sure there’s absolutely no trace of Cancer cells in my bone marrow. If that’s confirmed, the chemotherapy of the next round will be relatively the same. I just want you all to know the only Big C’s in my life right are courage, and careful.

I hope you all enjoyed the post because it took me A WHILE to write. Goodnight to all of you, and good luck in your March Madness brackets! In the wise words of St. Augustine, “God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering.” B+!

Dancing for Those Who Can't

Last night I participated in the first (hopefully annual) Students About Life Saving, or SALS, Thon. I couldn’t tell you what my favorite part of the night was. Could it have been meeting Joe McDonough, founder of The B+ Foundation? Was it getting called up on stage as the number two individual fundraiser and crying in front of about 700 people I don’t know? Was it that 30 minute period of dancing to specifically all those random throw back songs or losing my voice screaming along with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”? While all of those events were highlights, I would have to say that my favorite part of the night was when I got called over by a couple of the Salesianum guys. They asked me if I wanted to go on stage with them and hold up one of the digits to reveal the final amount of money raised. 

In all honesty, I cannot describe to you the atmosphere of the gym from 9pm on Saturday night until 5:30 the next morning. Over 600 students came together to support a cause much bigger than all of them. They came for kids like Andrew McDonough and Mason. They came not only because of the hope of it being an indescribably amazing time (it was), but they also knew what SALS Thon was doing for B+ and each of the 46 children diagnosed each day along with their families. We came together to dance for the kids who can’t.

I don’t know about all of the other kids, but I was pretty hopped up on caffeinated drinks because I knew I couldn’t fall asleep. I knew I could not sit down once between 9pm and 5:30am. Andrew Szczerba, a Sallies and Penn State grad and new Atlanta Falcon, was one of the speakers that opened the night. He had the honor of participating in Penn State’s Thon, and he told us something about him that hit close to home with me. He talked about the three bracelets he wears on his left wrist and never takes off. One is from his little niece, the other is a Live Like Andrew bracelet from B+, and the last is for his uncle who was killed in the line of duty. He said that whenever he was dancing and he felt tired at Thon, or even on a regular day when he felt that life was rough, he would look down at his wrist to see these bracelets. They encourage him to carry on and be strong. These bracelets, just like my own, encouraged him to continue to dance for those who can’t.

So I didn’t sit down and I tried my best to only rest when completely necessary. Come 5:30, my body was hurting. Whenever I became aware of the soreness my body was starting to feel, I looked down at my bracelets. The physical pain of pushing my body past its limits with all of this physical activity would inevitably fade and fade pretty fast. How does a child diagnosed with cancer feel? Their emotional, spiritual, physical and mental pain does not fade quickly, if it even does at all. It takes time, patience, and trust in the community and doctors to make that pain go away. What a child with cancer and their family go through every day with various treatments and doctors’ visits and all of that is more than anyone can comprehend. My decision to stay awake for more than 24 hours and dance is nothing in comparison. I chose to stay awake like all of the other kids who participated in this event because when I thought of my brother, I knew he’d make fun of me endlessly (and probably be a little disappointed in me too) if I had sat down. I stayed awake; we stayed awake because we were dancing for those who can’t.

After our mass at 5:30, we were free to go. On the drive home and throughout today, I couldn’t help but be on the verge of tears when I thought about the undoubtedly legendary event that I was just a part of. I can’t help but be so extremely grateful to all of those who put this event on, especially the Sallies guys. You boys know who you are, so please also know that you’re now on my (extensive and rapidly growing) list of heroes. Mason, of course, is at the top of this list, and though I know you had the idea of Thon long before Mason was diagnosed, I can’t help but think that a huge part of this was for him. 

You guys started fundraising in late February. It hasn’t even been a month since the donation site opened. You had the ambitious goal of raising $46,000 for the 46 kids diagnosed with cancer each day, and because of your ambition, I knew I could respect all of you from Day 1. I can now tell all of you readers that at 5 o’clock this morning, I had the honor of holding up a sign with the number 3 on it. I held this sign up with the main guys responsible for the entire event, and together, our signs revealed to everyone that we collectively raised $73,532.35. Yes. Over $73,000 dollars was raised for the B+ Foundation, for families affected by childhood cancer, and for research to help find a cure. That money is thanks to everyone reading this blog who donated, all of the companies who donated prizes and food, all of the students who registered and donated time. We couldn’t have done it without all of the support. Together, we raised $73,532.35 for the kids who we honor and respect, the kids who can’t dance.

I hope that SALS Thon will be an annual thing. I hope that everyone in attendance this year will set a precedent that the Thons to follow will greatly surpass. I hope that more and more people can be a part of such a huge movement that will undeniably change the lives of many, many families. I know that my hopes can become realities because I know and have faith that kids will want to keep dancing; they will want to dance for those who can’t in hopes that one day soon, they can.

Today's the Day! Well . . . Tuesday

Sorry!!! I know I’ve been slacking so badly. I haven’t updated you guys in over a week probably! I have tons of good news though so here we go.

HE’S HOME! Mason came home on Tuesday. First period on that day I got a text from him (sorry, teachers), and he said that he would be home by the following day. Of course I freak out and get really excited in class, but tried to keep it subtle as I was blatantly ignoring our school’s phone policy. Next period, I had a study hall so I was using my phone to listen to music. I got another text from Mason in our family group message saying, “WOOOOOHOOOO TODAY IS THE DAY!” I kid you not when I tell you that I cried. I looked at my phone, smiled, then just cried. I have never felt so happy, excited, and relieved all at once. Just think, he’s home right now in between his first round of chemo and the next. Imagine what we’ll all do when he comes home when chemo is over!

So anyway, Mason is home. It’s an amazing feeling to come home from work or school and see him in my family room or walk into his own room before I go into mine for the night instead of just passing by it. I could not describe to you how it feels, as I’m sure no one else in my family could either. As usual, words are inadequate, insufficient, unsatisfactory. They’re just not enough. Morgan will also be coming home for the weekend! She flies in tonight and will be joining the family all the way from North Carolina. It will be almost strange to have the whole family together… at home! I can’t remember the last time we were all together here. I really can’t wait.

Tonight at Malvern Prep, they are having a cancer awareness night. Parker will be speaking at it along with Eric Campbell, Leo Carlin, and others. This night is dedicated to awareness of childhood cancer and just how it affects the families of those involved. People are going to show their support and get a new perspective. It’s honestly going to be an awesome event. I can’t wait to see everyone who comes out to support, but no worries. If you can’t come out tonight I’ll be posting a video of Mason after the event.

As always, thank you for everything you all have been doing. The support continues to be incredibly breathtaking. We realize how lucky we are more and more every single day. Keep praying everyone, but Mason’s getting better, and we’re glad to have him home.