Chemotherapy for Childhood Cancer

_strong4ash
_strong4ash Member Posts: 1 Member
in Leukemia #1

Hello everyone, so I am posting on here as a caregiver...

The Past 17 months has been very Difficult especially for our sweet Boy Ash who is a fighter and still is fighting and would definitely win!

I am posting to ask if anyone is got any experience with Childhood Cancer and what is there to expect? even though our sweet Ash is making significant progress, I still do not know what to expect at some point!

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  • Mcerney94
    Mcerney94 Member Posts: 1 *
    #2
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/326832/chemotherapy-for-childhood-cancer

    Hey,

    I’m so sorry your son and you and your family have to experience this. I had leukemia as a child when I was 5 years old. I can’t say as an absolute that ash’s experience will be anything like my experience but what I can say is that it is not pleasant. I wish I could tell you it’s painless but I would be lying and that wouldn’t be okay. When I had it, the chemotherapy was a constant thing. I lost my hair, I had to avoid certain activities that my peers could do like swimming or going into a pool or exposure to a lot of sunlight and heat. I had shots in my back that were painful, I was in the hospital for 6 months, a medication I took negatively affected the white matter in my brain and damage a part of it so I had to have an IEP in school. I don’t know honestly if the damage to my brain ever fully healed. The most influential part in my early years that has effected me since is that I was isolated from my peers, my siblings treated me like an alien and we’re mean to me as well as kids at school, I had no real friends, I was bullied and mistreated and I just felt entirely alone and left on my own. I am 29 and I still feel the effects of it all to this day though some things are also a result of repeated mistreatment and mental or physical abuse. I know your son will survive this. With leukemia there’s a much higher chance of surviving it as a child rather than getting it later in life, the chance of survival decreases as far as I was told. He may experience some of the things I went through but it also largely depends on factors such as consistent emotional support and protection from his parents, living in a place where people are not so judgmental and ultimately, how he responds to everything. He may end up with ptsd from it, he may need an iep in school, extra support and positive attention but relating to what I said, I believe the experience is different for each person. I do believe though that whatever happens, ash will survive, he will have his needs met and he will have a good life and be successful and strong. If you ever need to talk, please feel more than welcome to contact me and I will do my best to be of any help possible. 💜

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