Understanding Childhood Cancer
- Blake and Abigail Estevez recently discovered that their beautiful 9-month-old baby girl named Blakely has cancer. The diagnosis came after Abigail asked Blakely’s doctors to look at the lump in her stomach.
- Blakely has cancer in the form of Wilms tumor, also called nephroblastoma. Wilms tumor is a type of childhood cancer that begins in the kidneys and is the most common type of kidney cancer in children. About 9 of 10 kidney cancers in children are Wilms tumors.
- Being a parent and a cancer caregiver at the same time can be a challenge. It's important to take care of yourself and find the time to celebrate life's happy moments along the way.
Blake and Abigail Estevez are parents to a beautiful 9-month-old baby girl named Blakely. And during a routine check-up on January 27, 2022, Abigail made sure to point out the lump in her daughter’s stomach to make sure nothing was wrong. Unfortunately, an ultrasound would reveal the devastating reason for the lump.
Read More"It's overwhelming one way, when we think about our baby having cancer and how it's not fair. It's hard for us to accept it," Blake said. "What helps you get through it is our community."
And the community has indeed stepped up to help. With both parents currently in between jobs/uninsured and struggling to build back their home in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida caused major damage, finances are tight right now. Thankfully, a friend stepped in to help create a GoFundMe page that’s already raised over $77,000 for the family. Even local businesses are doing their part to help the family.
"There's people out there who just have the biggest hearts," Abigail said.
Understanding Childhood Cancer
Treatment advances in recent decades have lead to 84 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. Elizabeth Raetz told SurvivorNet.
Caring for a Child with Cancer
Still, navigating a child's cancer diagnosis can be tricky. And it's incredibly hard to watch your child suffer as the Estevez parents know all too well.
Jayne Wexler also knows all about filling the simultaneous roles of parent and cancer caregiver. Her son, Justice, was diagnosed with ALL, but 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 Impact of a Childhood Cancer Diagnosis on the Whole Family Jayne Wexler Shares Her Story
The survival rate for children with cancer has improved over the past few decades, but childhood 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.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.