By Tomika Gamble
Published:
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 12:53 PM EDT
Most people dream of being a kid again. The lives of children are carefree and filled with joy. At least that's how they should be. Unfortunately the reality is that cancer loves everyone, including children.
Jennifer Mendoza and David Sotomayor may not know one another, but they do have a few things in common. Both students, who attend classes in Alvin ISD schools, were diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) right before the start of their seventh grade year.
ALL is a disease of the bone marrow and is the most common childhood cancer. It can affect any age group, race or sex and is among the most curable pediatric cancers.
Jennifer, who is now a junior at Manvel High School, underwent two and a half years of treatments for leukemia, which included chemotherapy and radiation, among other things. “I just remember feeling sick all of a sudden during summer school,” said Jennifer. “I began having heavy night sweats and heavy vomiting.”
After a visit with her pediatrician, Jennifer was referred to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where after having her blood drawn and examined, she was diagnosed with ALL.
“At the time I just wanted to know what was next. The cancer didn't have an immediate impact on me. It was definitely harder on my mother, who from day one never left my side,” said Jennifer. She says that she learned early on not to fear the cancer, but to simply stay positive and fight it.
Today Jennifer is a healthy and active student.
The majority of people do not even know that she has been touched by cancer, because she has been able to put the cancer and treatments behind her and focus solely on the future.
The cancer treatments did cause long-term side effects that still impact her daily activities and have affected her mentally and physically.
Fortunately, she has learned to cope with the side effects and has found other children her age to relate to by attending camps specifically for children who have been touched by cancer.
Jennifer continues to get regular checkups to confirm that she has not relapsed. “Cancer will always be a part of me, but it will not define me,” insists Jennifer.
David was diagnosed with ALL in August 2010, 10 days before his 12th birthday.
The summer before his seventh grade year, David felt unusually fatigued and was unable to play his favorite sports for long periods of time. Soon after, he began having sharp pains in his left side.
The pains quickly progressed, and he was rushed to a nearby emergency room.
From there, David was sent to a Clear Lake hospital facility and eventually ended up at Texas Children's Hospital, where he was officially diagnosed.
He began cancer fighting treatments that same day.
“This was a scary time for us, but I was positive that God was going to take care of my little boy,” said David's mother, Annette Sotomayor.
David's first hospital visit lasted 11 days and was extremely difficult on his mind and body.
“Cancer has been frustrating for me. I can no longer do all of the things that I would like to do and am oftentimes stuck in the house or in the hospital. I also hate needles,” mentions David.
Before the cancer, David was a member of the band at Fairview Junior High School and was extremely active in sports. Now, he can no longer attend school due to the risk of infection, and his activities must be limited and monitored at all times.
“I can't wait to beat this disease so that I can just be a kid again,” said David. He hopes to one day be able to attend a professional baseball game and to take a trip to Italy with his family.
Childhood cancer affects not only the child, but it also has an emotional and financial impact on the child's entire family.
David's mother admits to focusing all of her attention on David and not having much time for the other children and family members.
“It's difficult to juggle it all and stay sane at the same time. David's illness has consumed me mentally and physically. I just ask that everyone keep our family in their prayers.
“My trust has always been in God, and I trust that God is going to get us through this difficult time,” added Annette.
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Thanks for your comments - this is your blog - but please keep it clean for the kiddos!