Nicholas 1 Year Ago

A year ago today is a day that forever changed our lives. It is the anniversary date of Nick’s diagnosis. While I can talk about the day and everything that happened prior to the day, I also have to reflect on how happy we are today. Our life as a family is great and Greg and I have grown much stronger through this journey.


The story: I guess I could go back to late August and September of last year. We had gone to the beach a couple of times during the summer with the kids. Nick would take walks on the pier or run around in the water, just like any 4 year old boy. After playing or a walk he would complain his legs hurt. We just assumed he was tired and wanted to be carried. Over the next few weeks he started to really snore at night and we noticed his lymph nodes on his neck looked swollen. I was at the mall with my dad (Papa Boston), Tom and Nick and my dad asked why does Nick’s neck looked so swollen. I said: ‘oh, I have to call the doctor about it, I am not sure why. He is not sick and acting fine, but he is snoring at night and sounds at little stuffed up.’ I took Nick into the doctor’s office that day to see Dr. M and after a thorough check up she explained that we needed to go to the ER tonight. She said they should check his white blood count and run some tests. She explained the swollen lymph nodes could be a virus or something more. Greg brought him in that night and they ran tests, but everything came back negative. We waited one more week and repeated these tests, thanks to the follow up from our doctor. I can remember the phone call the next morning from Dr. M. She said the results showed malignant cells in the blood and we should head down to the Tomorrow Fund clinic right away. She explained we would be in excellent hands with Dr. Forman and their team and she had complete trust in them. Greg’s mom left work and came home to watch Thomas, while I picked Nick up at Prospect hill. (He is there today, while I am writing this blog). Greg left work and met us at home. The ride to the clinic and the waiting period are a little bleary now, but we knew at the time it was either Leukemia or a virus of some sort. The final results were devastating, but we knew we had to be strong. Greg spent the first night with him and the next morning the doctors performed a bone marrow sample to confirm he had T-cell. The 2nd night I spent with Nick and the next morning he had surgery to insert his port. He was then given 4 injections of chemo into his spine over 2 weeks and also received chemo through his port. Nick went through radiation, blood transfusions, side effects and most of all, bone pain. He was amazing through it all, and always found a way to smile. We have found our strength through the wonderful friends and family, co-workers and inspirational stories we have heard over the past year.

We are blessed with 3 wonderful boys and a house filled with love. We know God has watched over us.

We were explaining to Nick last night about today and how it is his anniversary. This morning the boys woke up and decided that we should have a party. Nick asked if we would get a cake and what we are going to do tonight. While I had tears in my eyes, they boys just smiled and talked about that day. It just reminds you of how kids perceive life and how they make the most of it. Keep Rockin Nick

Love, Karen and the Shannon Family