Seeking Moms Who Have Children with Cancer

Sweet R.,

You are never alone. There is one who is near you, who will never leave or forsake you. Please allow me to pray for you.

Father God, in a world where we can't see your face or feel your touch, sometimes it's easy to be filled with fear. But Lord you ask us to not fear anything, but to have a spirit of peace, because you have overcome the world. You are our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble. You are holy, and you are worthy. Lord thank you that faith is a gift you will give this family as they put their hope in you. I ask lord, for you to put a hedge of protection around this family. Lord bring this family wisdom, courage and strength. Clothe them with your peace Lord, for you shall strengthen their hearts. You will make their feet like the feet of a deer, enabling them to stand on the hieghts. You will be their rock, and their fortress, their God in whom they trust. Oh God, we ask in the name of Jesus that this child be healed. And Lord, we ask that this child, and everyone who comes into contact with this child, have their names written in the Book of Life. Thank you Jesus that you answer every prayer given in faith. For it is by faith that we are healed.
Amen.

"Then thou shall call and the Lord shall answer,thou shall cry and he shall say, Here I am" Isaiah 58:9

Dear R.: I know a great deal about neuroblastoma. My son was diagnosed with this cancer at the age of 10. I also know many other parents who have dealt with this cancer. Dustin's tumor was above the adreneal gland on the left side. I am a member of children's hospice and pallative care in Watsonville. I was a board member for 5 years and am now a member only. Their website is www.childrenshospice.org I have much information that could help you and I have a great ear. Please let me know if you are interested in contacting me. The two things to remember is one day at a time and you have to take care of yourself in order to take care of your daughter.

Dear R.,

I do not have the answers you are looking for. Nor am I a parent to a child with cancer. However, my heart sank when I read your request. I hope that you can find the strength that you need to keep yourself positive for your sake and that of your daughter. There is a childrens cancer organization in Freedom which isn't too far from Santa Cruz. It's called Jacob's Heart Children's Cancer Association. I found them on the web after I read your request. It looks like they have programs and services that can help your family. The website is jacobsheart.org.

I hope your experience turns out to be a positive one.
Sincerely,
D.

Speak with the social worker, case manager and your daughter's treating hysician, they have connections. Also the Parents Helping Parents is an excellant resource.

Hi R.,
Unfortunately I don't have the ability to relate with you completely. I just wanted to lend my mental/spiritual support. I have a congential heart child who had her first surgery at 10 days old at Children's Hospital in Madera. In our grief, my husband and I walked the halls of the hospital. We saw all the children suffering from all types of illnesses, and especially noticed the cancer children. We looked at each other and realized how blessed we were that our child had something that could be fixed, as opposed to something where there was no guarantee of anything from one day to the next. I was in awe of the braveness of those children, and the strength of their parents. I wish you all the best and will be praying for you. You may have a long road ahead of you, but children hold a very special and dear place in God's heart. He is faithful and will be there for you when you feel you can't go a step further. God bless.

My prayers will be with you and your baby.
Can't imagine what you are going through.
It really is hearbreaking.
Be strong and hold that baby until your arms go numb.

Hi there,
I am not sure this is exactly what you are looking for, although it could be a very good resource for you. The Keaton Rafael Memorial (www.childcancer.org). There are a few families in the Greater Sacramento area that are going through or have gone through what you are going through, and KRM can help you with that as well as Dr./ Medical information.
My Prayers and thoughts are with you and your family,
C. Oliveira

There is support available at Parents Helping Parents www.php.com You can call or email them and they should be able to match you up with a parent who has had some similar experiences. The phone number is ###-###-#### and you can connect with TRudy by email at ____@____.com
Even if you are not in the Bay Area they may be able to connect you with resources in other regions

Hey R.! I don't have any experience with children with cancer, but my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!! I can't imagine what thoughts and feelings you're experiencing right now, and I truly hope that everything will be fine!!!!

Here is an online support that a friend of mine in Kansas used when her grandchild was born with multiple life threatening conditions and had several heart surgeries. it's www.caringbridge.org it's completely free and allows you to set up a personlized website to connect family and friends and keep them updated. with the distance i still felt informed and didn't feel like i was intruding on their privacy or sleep by calling. if you don't have the time to set this up perhaps a friend could and that could be their gift to you.
by the number of responses, we are all thinking and praying for you. i hope you have family close by to help with both children so you have time to yourself and with the older one. you are a brave young woman, especially to acknowledge that you cannot handle this alone. please contact caring bridge, i think it will help and put it another request here in a week and see if you connect with a parent with child having cancer. I know Ronald McDonald House is wonderful and i'm sure they must have outreach support. blessings to you and your family.

R.- I'm so sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you. Please be strong for your daughter. She needs that most!
Did you happen to store your daughter's cord blood? There have been so many studies and trials done on cord blood stem cells and cancer.

Good luck to you and your family.

One of my co-workers 5 year old son was diagonsed with neuroblastoma and has gone thru chemo and stem cell transplant with Sutter in Sacramento. I would love to put you in contact with her if you are in the Sacramento area.

Hi R.,

I just wanted to say that our prayers are with you and your little girl. I wish her a full and speedy recovery. The Mamasource Mommies are always here for you if you need to share.

All the best, D.

Dear R.,
First of all, my heart and my prayers go out to you and your little girl. Well, to your entire family.
Neither of my children have had cancer, but my best friends went through it with their first child.
We live in a very rural area, so they had to travel long distances for his treatments, etc, on top of everything else. It was certainly the most painful and taxing thing that they have ever endured, but I want to say that the boy is 18 years old now and has remained cancer free all this time. He is healthy, extremely talented, a full time university student, plus he works and is in two bands. I've known him since he was little and he has grown up to be a truly wonderful person. So, hang in there and keep the faith. You are doing the right thing by reaching out.
If you would like to send a private message with your e-mail address, I will pass it on to his mother if you would like her support. She is a teacher, has a husband and another son in the 8th grade, so she is super busy, but she might be able to give you some words of comfort.

You will have a LOT of people keeping you in their thoughts.
God bless!

R.-my heart goes out to you. if you go to the site www.stbaldricks.org you can begin to connect with some moms in your area, i'm sure. i have been doing fundraising with this organization for the past 5 years and have met some very courageous moms, dads, and children here in Sacramento. Keep praying and keep believing.
S.

My blessings are with you and your baby girl.

Love, G.

He R.,
My prayers and thoughts are with you in this time. I have not had a child dignosed with cancer but have lost my father in law to it 7yrs ago. The following website is for hospice, www.hospiceeastbay.org, please keep in mind that they are there to help you and answer any questions you may have. Best of luck to you and your family as you strive to get through this.

Sorry I am just seeing this. How is your daughter? My son was diagnosed Stage IV neuroblastoma 3/30/06 at 5.

Hi R.,

My grandmother died too soon from cancer, so even though I don't have a child with this disease, I want you to know you're not alone. Lot's of kids have made it through cancer. Hang in there and keep the faith.

Love and Healing,
M.

Hi R.,

I am not in your situation, but wanted to say that my thoughts are with you! It must be extremely difficult and scary for you, I'm very sorry. I hope you find some good support from this site and from the people around you. Can your doctors recommend any support groups in your area as well?

Take good care of yourself as well as your daughter. I hope things improve soon!

H.

R. ~ I am so sorry to hear about your daughter being diagnosed with cancer. I personally do not have any experience with a child being diagnosed with cancer, but I still wanted to write you a little note, and let you know that you are not alone! God is always with you, and He loves you and He hears your prayers. I will be praying for you and your family and for wisdom for the doctors and nurses, and any other staff that will be helping to care for your daughter. My deepest sympathies go out to you and your family! Love & Prayers ~ Janine

HI, first off I would like to say how sorry I am. I know how your life changes. My first cousin @ the age of 23mo. was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. I will get incomtact with my aunt and give you her email address. They live in Healdsburg. How are you doing right now?
Regards A.

Hi R.,

My heart goes out to you. Thankfully, my children are fine, but my 2-year-old nephew was diagnosed with melanoma the week before Christmas. He goes in next week for full body scans and to have more lymph nodes removed. It is so hard to see our little ones going through this. You are in my prayers.

Hi R.,

I am really sorry to hear about your precious daughter. I can only imagine what you are going through. I do not have any frame of reference, but I volunteer as a photographer for a company called the Littlest Heroes Project. http://www.littlestheroesproject.org/Littlest_Heroes_Proj... You may be able to ask them if you can contact any of the members because a lot of them have different kinds of Neuroblastoma. My thoughts and prayers are with you. I would love to hear any updates, please don't hesitate to send me a message. Thanks

N.

I my self am a cancer survivor and have 2 autistic boys... maybe not what you need but if you want to talk about alternative treatments that help, call me!!! ###-###-####

Sorry you are going through this... God bless you!!!

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin." ~ Jerry Newport

I'm so sorry, R., I'll be thinking about you...

I do not have a child with cancer. My daughter does have special needs and is 2 1/2 almost. She is getting ready to undergo her 4th surgury. She has shown us there are so many things to be thankful for. If you havent before, you will find the positive in things you didnt before. This will be hard, but you wouldnt be given something you can't handle. This is a special child, and angel from above. What you can do is Google for some cancer groups to find that needed support. I even found groups on Facebook!
Good luck to you and your family. You will be in our prayers.

Blessings on you and your daughter. and to all the mothers in similar circumstances who respond to your request...

Hi R.,

God bless your lil' one! Keep the faith! She will grow to be a very strong lady!

love&prayers,
M.

((((((R.))))))
Just thinking of you and your beautiful daughter, and sending lots of mama love and support to you both.

Dear R.,

You are not alone! Although I am not in your situation, I know that The American Cancer Society has a wealth of information that may help you, including support groups. www.cancer.org. You can search their site with your zip code and a whole list of resources pops up. You can also call them.

I wish you and your daughter all the best in what can only be a very uncertain and scary time.

Hi, I am so sorry to hear about your daughter's diagnosis. I am actually a child life specialist in the pediatric oncology unit at Kaiser Hospital. There are many organizations out there to provide support, and you will be given that information at the facility you are being treated at. A great website is www.curesearch.org. You can also do a webpage to keep family and friends updated. This helps you to not be glued to the phone all day and to not have to keep repeating the same information all the time. I would recommend using either www.carepages.com or www.caringbridge.com. The Keaton Raphael Memorial foundation also has good resources for families. Their website is www.childcancer.org. If you have other children (4-18), make sure you sign them up with Super Sibs (an organization that provides support to siblings of children with cancer). Their website is www.supersibs.org. Please feel free to contact me with further questions at ____@____.com luck to you all!

Dear R., Please call me.
###-###-#### A. B.

Hi R., first of all, I am so sorry!!! My prayers are with you and family.

I have a friend in my bookclub who, Christmas Day 2007, her 6 year old was diagnosed with neuroblastoma on her liver. She also has another child, they are older than yours, but just the same! I can get you her information if you would like? Her daughter has just finished a year of treatment, and transplants, and is on the road to recovery!! All her restrictions have been lifted, and she hopes to return to school in the spring. Let me know, I'm sure she would love to talk to you. Also, they used the Caringbridge website to keep everyone updated.
you can email me back at ____@____.com if you would like my friends info.
Take Care!

R.,
I cannot relate to your situation, but wanted to offer lots of positive, healing vibes and tell you my thoughts and prayers are with you.
I sincerely hope you find some support out there.
Sending you hugs!!

R.,

Hugs to you.