The Ultimate Victory
- New Orleans Saints’ Demario Davis says his one-year-old daughter is “cancer free” after being diagnosed with retinoblastoma in May.
- Retinoblastoma is an aggressive and rare form of eye cancer, and one of the most common types of cancers found in children.
- While taking care of your child during treatment, it’s important that parents take care of their emotional health as well.
Davis’ daughter, Chloe Faith Davis, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma in May a serious and very rare form of cancer in the eye. According to the American Cancer Society, two thirds of retinoblastoma cases are diagnosed before the age 2, and they account for about 3% of cancers occurring in children below the age of 15. Doctors discovered that Chloe had a tumor behind her eye, and she had to have her eye surgically removed and replaced with a prosthetic one. Watching your child battle cancer can leave any parent with a devastating feeling of helplessness; and now that Chloe is in remission, Davis is counting his blessings and trying to educate others about this disease.
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Now that he’s able to celebrate his daughter in remission, Davis is looking towards the future and can’t wait to see everything God has in store for both him and Chloe. “So, we’re just anxious as parents to see if God is gonna take her eye what is He gonna restore her with, what is He gonna give her because we know He’s not just gonna take something without giving a double portion back,” Davis says. “It’s exciting! That just seeing that video is just a reminder of so many blessings that we have around us.”
Pediatric Cancer: Explained
Over the decades, researching concerning children impacted by cancer have improved significantly, but there’s still work to be done. Currently, pediatric cancer patients have a 90% survival rate, which is a very stark contrast to 50 years ago when the survival rate was just 10%. While the survival rate was increased, the number of new diagnoses annually has not decreased since 2000. This may have to do with funding. Childhood cancer research typically receives only 4% of cancer research funds compared to other types of cancers.
Childhood cancer survivor Justice Wexler gets real about the chemo experience
Certain types of cancers are more commonly found in children. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), the most common childhood cancers are: Tumors on the brain and spinal cord, leukemia, neuroblastoma, wilms tumor, lymphoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, retinoblastoma, and bone cancer.
A Parent & Cancer Caregiver: The Experience
Parenthood can be a tough enough job as it is. When your child is facing cancer, love and support has never been more important. As a parent, you understandably want to be strong for your child and try not to let your emotions get the better of you, but it’s important to express your emotions and not bottle them up.
Jayne Wexler watched her son Justice battle acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), and played a dual-role of mom and a person taking care of someone with cancer. She immediately became only focused on making sure Justice was taken care of, and ended up brushing aside her own need to cope.
“You just go on autopilot and you do what you have to do,” Jayne tells SurvivorNet. “There is a lot of organizing and a lot of advocating. You need to keep track of what’s happening, because there’s a lot of components to dealing with cancer. So you don’t have that much time for yourself. I try to stay strong, but then sometimes you just want to go and cry and you need to cry, and it’s good to cry.”
Jayne Wexler shares the experience of being both a mom and cancer caregiver
Only focusing on your child getting through cancer treatment is completely normal, and understandable. However, Jayne encourages all parents going through this experience to take care of their emotional needs too.
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