Rocket Boy Fundraiser

On October 26, 2009 at 3:35pm, I gave birth to a flawless human being. He was just right in size and weight. He grew, and advanced at an above-average rate. I had many hopes for his future. I thought I knew he would grow to be an intelligent, overachiever. I was sure of this, in fact.

When my dear October Son reached the age of two, he began having respiratory illness. Nothing out of the ordinary. He was in nursery. Nothing seemed unnatural in the beginning. Then came pneumonia in December 2011. A week stay in the hospital, and we were sent home with a nebulizer, steroids, and antibiotics.

But by January 2012, my child was refusing the solid foods he’d been eating without so much as an argument. He would only drink PediaSure, and eventually he stopped doing that, too. Out of fear for his hydration needs, I forced fluids into him. I fought him to eat. I allowed myself to become frustrated and overly-stressed, and I fussed at him for not cooperating.

I embody a guilt for which I will never be forgiven, from which I will never recover. Because when my son stopped walking in February of 2012, and also stopped breathing in early March, we learned all of his respiratory problems were due to sizeable PNET (Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor) in his brain stem and spinal cord, an aggressive and fast growing malignant tumor. He wasn’t able to breathe, swallow, cough, gag, or choke. When I’d been forcing fluids into him, I’d been – in reality – forcing them into his lungs, and he was silently aspirating on his food and drink, thus causing the pneumonia.

My son endured surgery, after which he suffered a complication that led to a hemorrhage in his brain. He fought for his life like a champion, and after six rounds of chemo and thirty radiation treatments, he has acquired the name Robot Boy.

I’m happy to say, although he is physically impaired to an unknown extent, Robot Boy’s cancer is in remission. He continues to fight, and he is stronger everyday. My little super-hero Robot Boy.

In the beginning of our ordeal, I became associated with several people – via our blog sites on Wordpress – who participated in events for St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Up until then, I knew little about the organization. My husband and I donated to St. Jude’s, and my husband even held a benefit for them just one day before we learned of Robot Boy’s illness.

I learned a lot more about St. Baldrick’s over the following year (during which we were in-patient at Children’s Hospital New Orleans), and decided I wanted – rather, needed – to be involved. I felt a strong sense of responsibility to this cause. Not only for the benefit of my own son, but for the benefit of every child and family affected by this terrible killer of children.

Actually, pediatric cancer is the number one cause of death by disease for children over the age of one year old. Its research is also the most underfunded of all cancers. St. Baldrick’s Foundation dedicates more funds toward pediatric cancer than any other nonprofit. Only the federal government dedicates more money to pediatric cancer research. Over eighty percent of each dollar donated goes to funding research.

On March 23, 2013, just a little over one year after we learned of Robot Boy’s brain and spinal cord cancer, I will be shaving my head for St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Our team, Team Robot Boy, consists of thirteen hard working volunteers who have helped us top our goal of $1000, and we’re still going.

The event will be held at the Deutsches Haus, 1023 Ridgewood Drive, in Metairie, Louisiana, beginning at 5:00pm on March 23, 2013.

But you don’t have to shave or attend the event to help kids with cancer. You can be a hero at any time by visiting our team’s page on St. Baldrick’s website Team Robot Boy and clicking the donate button. Don’t be intimidated, or feel like you’re not making a difference if you cannot donate a lot. One dollar, five dollars, ten dollars…any amount helps! Point. Click. Donate. Do it for Robot Boy. Do it for all kids with cancer.

Thank you.

To learn more visit A Wordsmith’s Brainworks or TeamRobot Boy.