For the first 2 years of his life, Aiden was a very outgoing kid. He never shied away from new people, he was never afraid to try new things, and he was a very explorative type of character.
In the months leading up to his 3rd birthday I noticed and extreme disconnect from his usual up lifting spirits. He seemed drawn out and tired and new people started to scare him. I guess we attested it to being the natural personality development a kid goes through in his early years.
Then his birthday came. Again we could see that he was trying to have fun in his bouncy castle with the other kids, but his energy level just wasn’t there. Someone at the party noticed that his glands were quite swollen on his neck which set the ball rolling.
After a doctor visit, it was noted that swollen glands are normal in growing kids. Which is true, so I’m not faulting the doctor one bit. After a couple more weeks his sitter noticed that one of his eyes was bigger than the other. Once we got a look, we saw that it seemed like the eye was being pushed out from behind. Now the red flags really started to fly.
My wife took him to a children’s clinic in Whitby. The doctor there had said that the eye bulging and swollen glands were due to and ear infection and some antibiotics should do the trick. We immediately started him on the medication, but after a few days, nothing had changed. Our concern was now growing worse.
We then decided to take him to the Ajax hospital. I stayed home, so I don’t really know everything that went on there. What I do know is that after his blood was taken, he was immediately rushed for more testing. They called in a pediatrician to check him out, and after a few nerve wracking hours, the pediatrician came with their diagnosis. Blood cancer. They were not sure as to which cancer it was, so they sent him off to Sick Kids to pin point it.
I was still home at the time he was diagnosed. It floored me to get that phone call from my father in law, didn’t really know what to do. I had called my parents to come stay with our daughter for the night and went down to see him right away.
It was a long night for my poor son, who was poked and prodded until the wee hours of the morning, my wife and I waiting to hear the news that would change our lives overnight.
The next day, we got settled into our room. A knock came to the door. It was the doctor calling us into a meeting to discuss the final diagnosis. They were very nice about everything, but as soon as they passed the box of tissues, we knew it was dire.
By then end of it all, his final diagnosis was Acute Lymphatic Leukemia (ALL). I believe it was stage one, so we caught it quite early. And apparently, if you get leukemia, ALL is the one you want because it’s the most treatable. If there’s anything good to come out of this ordeal, that would be it.
However, he was one of the rare cases where he got a node behind the eye (Which what was causing his eye to bulge out). They explained the node as a “sanctuary* for cancerous cells, and that it needed to be nullified immediately.
There were a couple of options. Radiation, or more extreme chemo. Radiation, albeit quicker, causes serious long term effects. Whereas chemo, longer and less of a chance of success, will not hamper his brain in future development. What does a parent do?
We opted for the chemo. If it means more of our (and his) time and resources, than so be it.
Since that day, it’s been many trips to the hospital. Single day visits, multiple day visits, and so on. Aiden has grown accustomed to it all. I joke that he treats it like a resort, and that he knows that going to the doctors means getting everything he wants. Now he gets really upset if we have to go :)
At this time he’s doing really well. Gained almost all, if not all, (or.. more) of his weight back. His hair is returning, although he never really lost it all. His energy is neither here nor there, depends on which type of chemo he’s on. But his playfulness has returned.
The most difficult part of this situation was definitely watching him go through all of this torture, and not having the slightest clue as to why. The first bunch of weeks he just laid on the couch or in his bed. He’s had sores in areas you don’t want sores. He’s lost then gained then lost then gained weight. He’s been poked, and prodded. He’s been dragged through hospital to hospital, doctor to doctor, nurse to nurse. He’s been woke up hourly for nights on end just to have his vitals checked. He’s been put to sleep however many times for however many lumbar punctures. Yet… He still smiles. Kids are very adaptable. It’s amazing really.
The second most difficult part is resources. Finding that time to get off work. My employers (Epic Media Group) have been great. Letting me work from home, giving me time off when I need it, and even donating $1500 in my name to the Leukemia Lymphoma society. My wife has not been so fortunate. I’m not going to give any company names because they are very large and very active in the charity world. However, my wife has not been given any leeway, and has had to go on leave.
Luckily, we have a strong backing. A great family, and wonderful friends that have helped us out the entire time. We’ve been able to hold our heads above water because of it. In march a family friend held a fund raiser called “It’s AOK to tee it up for Aiden”. It was a golf tournament, and an auction. They manage to collect enough for us to survive. And for that, I’m truly thankful, as I’ve met countless parents whom aren’t as fortunate as we.
His name is Aiden O’Riley Kehoe. He’s AOK. Who knew how foreshadowing that name actually was?
