A Close Call
- The parents of 8-year-old Jake Whittingham weren’t overly concerned about his feeling under the weather until they noticed that his face was swollen.
- They rushed the boy to the hospital, where he learned that he had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This disease must be treated quickly–if Jake’s parents had waited much longer, his doctors might not have been able to save his life. But thankfully, the boy is safe and he has begun treatment.
- Jake’s treatment journey will be a long and challenging road, but he is expected to make a full recovery. Leukemia is the most common cancer for young children, and most of these patients will be diagnosed with ALL.
But when they noticed that the 8-year-old's face was swollen, they realized they might have a bigger issue on their hands. They rushed him to the hospital, where his doctors made an alarming discovery: his heart and kidneys had begun to fail.
Read MoreThe months since the diagnosis have been a trying time for the boy and his family. Whittingham is going through aggressive chemotherapy, and he has undergone multiple blood transfusions, lumbar punctures, and bone marrow extractions. On a GoFundMe page set up to help the Whittinghams adapt their home to Jake's new wheelchair, his uncle wrote, "Heartbreakingly, this nightmare will be his reality for the next few years."
Jake has autism and experiences sensory symptoms that make it stressful for him to be touched. “So, for him to even put up with what they were doing in the hospital you could tell he was really ill, because otherwise he’d have been kicking and screaming, but he just sat there and let them get on with it,” his uncle said. “He continues to make us all amazingly proud with his bravery and resilience.”
Jake is expected to make a full recovery, but he has a long road ahead of him. Exactly how long his journey will be will depend on how he responds to treatment. "The outlook is positive, he’s reacted to the chemotherapy and the cancer cells in the tests that they’re doing and his bone marrow, they are lowthey are still there but they are coming down," his uncle said.
What is ALL?
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow, where the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes a type of white blood cell. These blood cells are critical to the immune system, as they help fight infections by attacking bacteria, germs, and viruses. Signs of ALL typically include fever as well as unexplained bruising. The disease is diagnosed through bone marrow and blood tests. Leukemia is the most common cancer diagnosed in young children, and three out of four pediatric cancer patients will be diagnosed with ALL.
Chemotherapy for ALL: A Survivor's Experience
Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivor Justice Wexler is grateful that he beat the disease, but he’s not afraid to admit that chemo was one of the hardest experiences of his life. Now, as a side effect of his treatment, he is dealing with heart disease.
"He's a cancer survivor, but now we're dealing with heart disease," Justice's mother, Jayne Wexler, tells SurvivorNet. "This is because of the chemo. Chemo induced cardiomyopathy."
ALL survivor Justice Wexler breaks down the chemotherapy experience.
Despite this side effect and the challenge of going through chemo itself, Justice says he feels stronger because of his cancer journey. He encourages children facing similar diagnoses to be proud of their bravery, and to use their experience to put other setbacks in perspective.
"If you're ashamed of what you've been through, don't be," Justice says. "It makes you stronger as a person. While I would trade what happened to me in an instant, like if I'm failing in school, whatever, it's like, I beat cancer."
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