Survivors Giving Back
- Casey DeSantis, 42, wife of Florida governor Ron DeSantis, 44, made a post to honor the fact that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month after beating breast cancer earlier this year.
- Treatment advances in recent decades have lead to 85 percent of children with cancer now surviving five years or more, according to the American Cancer Society. This is up from 58 percent from the mid-1970s, but there's still a lot of work to be done.
- The survival rate for children with cancer has improved over the past few decades, but pediatric cancer is still an incredibly hard thing for a child and his or her family to go through. In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, one caregiver/mother of a cancer survivor found therapy to be a great way to process everything happening to her family.
After announcing she was breast-cancer-free in March, Casey hopped back on the campaign trail with her husband, Governor Ron DeSantis, 44, and and she's kept busy ever since. But that doesn’t mean she won’t take the time to honor the fact that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Casey DeSantis' Breast Cancer Battle
Casey first spoke publicly about her diagnosis and shared details about her timeline in December. The stage and type of her breast cancer remains unknown to the public.She told a crowd gathered at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., that she did not experience any symptoms initially, but a vague sense of uneasiness drove her to schedule a visit with her OB-GYN.
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
Her doctor did not see any cause for concern, but Casey still felt like something was off. A month later, she called again to request a mammogram. That's when her concerns were confirmed with a breast cancer diagnosis.
RELATED: Florida's First Lady Casey DeSantis, 41, is Officially Cancer-Free!
Casey DeSantis began chemotherapy treatment shortly after, and the governor and first lady announced in January that Casey had finished her breast cancer treatment. In total, her treatment included six rounds of chemotherapy, a surgery (unspecified as to what type) and six weeks of radiation.
Excited to share this update about First Lady @FLCaseyDeSantis' health: pic.twitter.com/HsMjWwPHIv
Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 3, 2022
"After going through both treatment and surgery for breast cancer, she is now considered cancer-free," the governor said in March. "For all the women out there who are going through breast cancer right now: you can overcome this.
"I know it's very difficult, but my wife is proof positive. If you wound back six or seven months, this is exactly the type of news that we had hoped for… She still has more to do, but I'm confident she's going to make a full recovery."
Understanding Childhood Cancer
Given everything she’s gone through, it’s nice to see that Casey DeSantis is making a point to bring attention to other cancer warriors especially ones who might need an advocate.
Treatment advances in recent decades have lead to 85 percent of children with cancer now surviving five years or more, according to the American Cancer Society. This is up from 58 percent from the mid-1970s.
But according to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, more than 95 percent of childhood cancer survivors have significant health-related issues because of the current treatment options, and only 4 percent of the billions of dollars spent each year on cancer research and treatments are directed towards treating childhood cancer in the United States. Since 1980, fewer than 10 drugs have been developed for use in children with cancer while hundreds of drugs have been created exclusively for adults.
Dr. Elizabeth Raetz, director of pediatric hematology and oncology at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center, reminded us in a previous interview that there is still reason for hope.
"There are also targeted treatments and different immunotherapies that have been studied in adults and have now moved into clinical trials for children and there has been a great deal of excitement in the community about that," Dr. Raetz told SurvivorNet.
Caring for a Child with Cancer
Still, navigating a child's cancer diagnosis can be incredibly tricky something Jayne Wexler knows all too well.
She had to fill the roles of parent and cancer caregiver when her son, Justice, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Thankfully, he has since recovered.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Wexler explained how she managed to be a mother and a caregiver all at once.
"I Try To Stay Strong, But Sometimes You Need To Cry": Playing The Role of Cancer Caregiver and Mom
"Being a caregiver is a huge job," Wexler said. "Fortunately, my husband and family were very supportive … it's really hard to see your child go through this. If it could be me, I would take it in a second. You just go on auto-pilot and you just do what you have to do."
But that doesn't mean it was always easy. Wexler admitted that as a parent caring for a child with the disease, you don't have a lot of time to sit down and deal with your own emotions.
"You don't have that much time for yourself," Wexler said. "I try to stay strong, but then sometimes you just want to go and cry, and you need to cry… it's good to cry."
The survival rate for children with cancer has improved over the past few decades, but pediatric cancer is still an incredibly hard thing for a family to go through. In her own caregiving experience, Wexler found therapy to be a great way to process everything happening to her family. Regardless of whether it's therapy or participating in your favorite activities or something entirely different, it's important to find ways to also take care of yourself as you're taking care of your child.
Contributing: Sydney Schaefer
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