My Life Uncensored: 7 years ago

7 years ago I was sitting in the pediatric ward at Balboa. Gabe had been admitted following his CT scan because his blood pressure was through the roof. Both Savannah (age 4) and Gabe (age 2) were very antsy because they hadn't been able to play all day. I was on my own with these 2 and 5 months preg with Chris. Walter was on deployment and in a port visit in Sasebo. I knew that they had found a tumor on his left kidney at this point and that was what was messing with his blood pressure. My online friends were my saving grace till Walter got home. We hadn't lived in San Diego long, so I didn't have too many friends. And family (both sides) were half a country away. Women that I had never met, would call and check in on me, let me vent, cry, etc. They wouldn't know me from Jane on the street, but they were there for me. Thank you guys!

The next morning, 4/1/04 at 5am, I would meet Dr Lande (oncologist) and Dr Vasquez (peds surgeon) for the first time. It would be the first time that I heard the words cancer and Gabe in the same sentence. At this point, no one knew what type it was. We wouldn't know till after the biopsy which was scheduled for 3 days later. What they did know was that his left kidney was completely encased in tumor, there was a tumor thrombus that had snaked down his renal vein and was halfway up his IVC to heart and that his lungs were covered in tumors.

We would eventually find out that he was stage IV with wilm's. He would then do 24 weeks of chemo (3 different chemo meds), 8 days of radiation and 4 surgeries (1 of which we almost lost him). It's been a long road since then, but as I watch him face what life has in store for him, I am amazed at how he handles everything. Sometimes it feels like yesterday since all this happened and others it feels like it's been a lifetime. He doesnt remember too much of that time. Other than that "he should be scared of dr's", but he is slowly overcoming that with good checkups and child life specialists that help him through everything. I so wish that program had existed when he was going through actual treatment.