Dexter was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma when he was 13 months old.
He is one of the lucky ones - he's a childhood cancer survivor.
Dexter's cancer was in his liver. It was a solid tumour and it was aggressive.
He was lucky because his paediatrician found it early. Dexter had an enlarged liver. He was lethargic. (His cerebral palsy hid that from us, so we never noticed.) He had a rash, where the cancer was growing, but we didn't realise it was a symptom of cancer.
Dexter was 13 months old. He'd been home for nine months. We had a cortical visual impairment diagnosis and we knew there was a cerebral palsy diagnosis just around the corner.
Life had already thrown so many challenges and then, cancer.
At no time did we consider losing Dexter. That was just not an option.
His medical team trialled a different combination of drugs, so Dexter's hearing could be saved.
The drugs worked. They killed the cancer cells.
The toxic drugs also took Dexter's hair. His first hair cut - usually a happy moment in a child's life, needed to be a close shave. (Dexter's cerebral palsy stopped him from being able to pull chunks of hair from his face and mouth.) Dexter was chemo bald. His eyebrows fell out. His eyelashes fell out. Dexter looked like a 'cancer kid'. He was a cancer kid.
Dexter had monthly injections to boost his chemo-ruined immune system. They caused his face to break out in rashes.
He needed blood, platelet and plasma transfusions. The platelet infusions left him feeling sick.
For a couple of weeks a month, Dexter would start to feel better. He would get back some energy and he would stop throwing up. Those were the sunshine days - the days Dexter and his mum found a quiet, sunny spot and rested. Those were the days they build their energy for the next round of chemotherapy.
After the surgery, he spoke confidently and there was some real hope that Dexter would soon be cancer clear. Another two rounds of chemotherapy were needed before his medical team were happy to stop Dexter's cancer treatments.
Dexter had needed several surgeries, over the nine months of his treatments. He had biopsies, central lines were inserted and removed and the tumour was cut out. A rib was broken. After the surgeries, we learned that Dexter reacted very badly to one of the most common pain medications; fentanyl. He stopped breathing. He spent a week in intensive care and his chemotherapy treatments stopped while Dexter's little body gained back some strength.
With infections and sickness, transfusions and weekly blood checks, we spent a lot of time in hospital. A bag was always in the back of the car, ready for the next hospital stay.
There was always love, but every day was full of worry and anxiety.
There is nothing good about childhood cancer.
Even now, years later, we can see the faces of the people we met during Dexter's cancer days. We remember the kids who lost their fight. We remember the families who couldn't take their child home. We remember the kids who, like Dexter, beat their cancers.
Childhood cancer takes your life on a truly awful turn. While the scans might come back clear, the memories remain. Our hearts still feel the pain. Our minds remember the rooms, the procedures, the medical team, the families, the vomit.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
We send love and strength to the kids currently fighting.
We send love and strength to the families who lost a child to cancer.
We send love and strength to the survivors and we hope your scans remain clear.
Sadly around 710 children aged 0-14 are diagnosed with cancer in Australia every year and 100 will die from the disease.
Figures from the registry show that childhood cancer death rates in Australia have decreased by nearly 40 per cent over the past 15 years. However, cancer remains the most common cause of disease-related death for children aged 1-14 in Australia, and data from Associate Professor Claire Wakefield at the University of NSW has shown that 81 percent of childhood cancer survivors develop at least one life-changing mental or physical health issue after cancer treatment they received as a child. This highlights the need for further research and support services for families affected.
Happy Cordless Anniversary
Cancer Clear – One Year
Thanks, Mum and Dad
No Egg
End of Chemo – 1 Year Anniversary
Finding Out & Starting Treatment
Cancer in Photos
Dexter’s Hepatoblastoma
Dexter’s Cancer Story
Done!
See the Cancer?
Lizard
My Cancer
Dexter's First Month
Dexter's Vision
Dexter's Cerebral Palsy
Who is Dexter?
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