Meet Will

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Today is the last day of Childhood Cancer Awareness month! Meet our 5th AMAZING kid, Will! Will was diagnosed with cancer before Gracie was born. Our foundation was not created yet, so therefore we were not able to help them during Will’s fight, but the Schrader family was there to help us during Gracie’s battle with cancer and they continue to support our foundation. Even though our children’s fight with cancer was different, it is still the same on so many levels. We’ve experienced the ups and downs, the hospital stays, the grueling treatments, the unknown… and with that a bond is created. One that no parent wants to have, but one that is so supportive and needed when no one else knows or even wants to know what you’re talking about. I remember praying every night for Will and when reading what Jill wrote I cannot believe it’s been 4 years post transplant! My son played Lacrosse with Will this summer and as I sat on the sidelines watching I thanked God that Will was healthy, active and one heck of an athlete! Will~ you are AMAZING!

“Will somehow cut his finger – we dont know how and we don’t know why but it was a blessing in disguise.

The weekend of July 10th 2009 Will wasn’t feeling that great at all. He had gone to his 9 month check-up the previous Thursday and got his Hepatitis B shot. He was feverish on and off over the weekend. We thought it was a combination of teething and the shot. On Monday, his mannerisms got a bit weirder when everytime we picked him up he seemed like he tightened his body and held his legs up in the air. Maybe his ribs hurt, maybe his arms hurt, maybe the shot is still sore, I even started to think that maybe the shot had settled in his joints (is that even possible??). We called our pediatrician on Monday night after hours and he said to bring Will right in the next day. He said it just wasn’t normal. Andy took Will to the appointment and our pediatrician sent us to St. Lukes hospital in Utica to be admitted. Why?
Will had this cut on his finger and we didn’t know how he got it. We had noticed it the previous week and put neosporin on it, never really making a second thought. The finger had an infection that his body was trying to fight causing a lymph node to swell under his right armpit. Thats why Will was so uncomfortable when we were picking him up! His lymph node was extremely sore and by this time – swelled! We needed to go to the hospital to get antibiotics immediately, at least 48 hours of the antibiotics to help Will fight the infection.
We headed up to the hospital and got Will admitted. After an ultrasound and an x-ray of the lymph node we were headed back up to Wills room. Thats when things turned weird. The nurse was asked to watch our child and we were asked to follow the Dr. into a private room to talk. He kept saying he was sorry and that the white blood cell count was over 580,000. What? We didn’t understand? We were confused there were so many words and I’m sorry’s. We didn’t understand. Then we heard the word – Leukemia. Neither of us had any idea what we were in for.
We went straight in an ambulance to Upstate Medical Center, in Syracuse, NY.
Will was discharged in December of 2009 after 5 rounds of chemotherapy treatment, mostly inpatient stays with no more than 5 nights at hope throughout the months. After discharge we were getting regular checkups for the first 6 months, every month. For the next 6 months checkups were every other month. While there for what would have been his 1 yr of remission appt in December of 2010 Wills bloodwork showed that he had relapsed. He was immediately admitted. After two rounds of chemotherpy and an extensive search for a Bone Marrow Donor he was transferred to Boston Childrens Hospital for a Bone Marrow Transplant. We had no idea what we were in store for but we knew that the transplant was the only hope for a cancer free life.

It was all business from the start – 2 times daily radiations treatments, extensive chemo to kill all of his blood cells, then on the 10th day the bone marrow arrived and on February 26, 2011 Will recived his new life. His body fought hard to accept the new cells. After many transfusions, pokes, exams, medicines, his body started to recover….we were then transferred to the Ronald McDonald House in Boston and spend almost 2 weeks there with daily visits to the hospital. On April 12th 2011 Will was able to travel home from Boston with follow up for weekly visits.

Will is now currently 4 years post transplant remission. In February of 2016 he will be 5 years clear of the cancer. He will be 7 years old next month and he is a thriving 2nd grader that plays football, basketball, baseball and soccer!! We are so thankful!! One of my favorite charities to give to other than Gracies Foundation is the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Will was granted his “wish” of a hockey rink in his own back yard and to him that wish was one of the best things that could have ever happened!!”

One comment on “Meet Will

  1. God I remember it all so well. I am so, so happy Will is doing all his sports and enjoying life. We all loved Will when he was on 11G. Love and miss you Will.

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