Why I Relay - The Journey Begins

Tonight is the Annual Chowan County Relay for Life. The national organizers have asked that participants share why they choose to participate. My answer is simple: I have witnessed the power of cancer research. Today, my son Joshua is a healthy young man. That was not always the case. He was twice diagnosed with cancer and twice journeyed through to remission. He has undergone chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, proton radiation therapy, blood transfusions, and more scans and tests than I can count.

Throughout his journey, God has blessed Joshua and those around him. He is in complete remission, a living testament to the faithfulness and goodness of God. His journey is detailed in the Daily Journal I kept through both journeys. Take some time, relax, read about all he encountered and revel in God's goodness. Know that God is just as faithful to you. He will walk with you through the scariest of times. He will take care of you, just as he did Joshua. God is Good!

The following are the first two entries from the journal.

April 13, 2007

Joshua’s journey through cancer began with a wonderful trip with his brother Elijah and I over Spring Break. We took a cruise and had a blast. The boys completely wore me out with non-stop games of basketball, trips to the 24-hour ice cream machine, and rushing to make sure they had the front row for the various shows onboard.

During the week, I found a lump on Joshua’s neck while drying him off after a shower. Joshua had not previously noticed it. It did not hurt and did not impede his neck movement in any way. I monitored it for the duration of the trip but had little cause for alarm. When we returned, I took him to his pediatrician in Asheville. She was puzzled and immediately called in others for consultations. We spent the day shuttling between medical offices with Joshua receiving two chest x-rays and having blood drawn.

After a long day of waiting while more doctors were consulted, we were informed that the x-ray had shown a mass in his chest. The doctor said that, “we are worried” and told his mom and I that they suspected lymphoma, a form of cancer. She did say that there was a possibility of it being a rare form of mono that could cause swollen lymph glands (the lump in his neck) and the mass in his chest. She said we would know for sure when they performed a biopsy that would entail removing the swollen gland from his neck. This procedure was scheduled for Tuesday after a C-T scan on Monday. However, on Saturday, April 14th, they went ahead and performed the C-T scan and took more blood.

April 18, 2007

Yesterday began with a visit to the Children’s Cancer Center. The Center is a beautiful facility recently constructed off the grounds of the hospital. The center’s staff was warm and caring. Joshua’s Doctor, Dr. Crystal Bottom, worked at the Duke University Cancer Center for 6 years prior to joining her partner, Dr. Beattys from St. Jude’s. The two of them joined together to found and open this center so that the children of Western North Carolina did not have to travel to receive top-rate care.

The day started with a 45-minute consultation with the doctor. She shared with us the results from all of the bloodwork and the C-T scan. She reported that they believed the lymphoma had spread into his abdomen. She believed, and we agreed that Joshua needed to know what was going on. We brought him in and she shared everything with him. He smiled and thanked her. I cried. His biggest concern was missing school. He had maintained Perfect Attendance throughout school, having never missed a day from kindergarten through fifth grade.

The doctor recommended that we go ahead and accomplish two other items because the tests so strongly pointed to lymphoma. Instead of just removing and doing a biopsy of the swollen lymph node in his neck, they also wanted to biopsy the bone marrow in both of his hips to determine how far the cancer had spread. Additionally, they inserted a port into his chest that would ultimately make it easier to administer the medicine he will receive when he begins chemotherapy.

Before heading to the hospital for the surgery, they attempted to insert an IV. They got it in, but could not draw enough blood. They determined that he was probably dehydrated. This made sense because he had not eaten or drank anything since the previous night at their request. They attempted again in his wrist. This one did not work either. They decided to let us go on to the hospital. At the hospital, their first attempt missed as well. Joshua was crying and was very scared. I laid beside him in the bed and held him as they tried a fourth time. Luckily this one worked and it looked like we were finally headed to Anesthesiology.

Before leaving, they allowed his visitors to come back. One of our Pastors from Weddington United Methodist led a quick prayer. As they were leaving the room, Joshua sat up and called out, “Nana, don’t forget your purse.” Even in the midst of all of this stuff, he was still looking out for everyone else.

As we left the room to head to our next destination, a nurse came in to say that the lab needed some more blood. Joshua was devastated. Luckily, we met his doctor in the hallway and relayed the request to her. She went to the surgeon and they decided they did not need anymore blood afterall. We were so thankful.

Joshua’s surgery went very well. The first slide from the biopsy confirmed the lymphoma. Under the microscope, it appeared that it was Hodgkin’s Disease. In our post-op meeting with the doctors, they told us that a further reading of the C-T scan had shown that he does NOT have anything in his abdomen! Amazingly, Joshua was ready to go home after an hour or so in recovery. He was sore and a little groggy, but he was still beaming that Joshua smile and saying please and thank you to all of the nurses.

I am sitting in the Living Room watching him rest on the couch. He just called me over and said, “Daddy needs a kiss.” He is so amazing, always thinking of everyone else.

Jennifer and I will meet with his doctor on this afternoon. She will have the results of all of the tests and will be able to tell us the type of Hodgkin’s Disease and the stage that it is in. I am not going to waste anytime asking why this happened. I am simply going to continue counting our blessings.

It was a blessing that we were in that small room on the cruise ship where I noticed the lump. It has been a blessing to witness all of the love and prayers that immediately sprang to lift Joshua up. It is a blessing that the staff of Parkwood High School and Union County Public Schools has jumped right in to take care of the school in my absence. It is certainly a blessing to have such a sweet, polite young man in our lives. You are a blessing to us. Thank you for everything. I’ll continue to keep everyone informed of our progress. Thank you again for all of the prayers. Please continue to send one up anytime you think of our Joshua. Please lift up Assistant Principal Ms. Janice Burns as well, who is doing a great job minding the store in my absence. -Rob

You may read through the rest of his two journeys in the journal. You can select to read the oldest entries first so that you are reading it as it happened. Please consider donating to Relay for Life, St. Judes, or any organization supporting cancer research.

This entry was originally written in the Caring Bridge Journal I kept throughout Joshua's Journeys. You may access it here: https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/joshuajackson1