Ethan

How I beat cancer
By Ethan, Age 10

This is my story on how I beat cancer.

It all started when I wasn’t feeling well but we all thought it was just a normal thing that happens to everybody. But it kept on happening. So we decided to go to the hospital to see what was going on. That’s when they told us that I was diagnosed with cancer. It was really scary.

When it started I had to stay in the hospital for a long time. Sometimes even on weekends. And after staying in the hospital for about 5 days, I had an appointment. This just kept happening over and over again. All I did in the hospital when I was staying overnight was build Legos and watch movies. It was super hard staying in the hospital all the time. I didn’t get to see my family that much. And even after that part was over, I still had to go into the hospital for an appointment 1-3 times a week.

But as time passes, you don’t have to go to the hospital as much, but it was still hard for me and my parents. My parents would do anything to get me to those appointments on time. In the last phase of treatment, I only had to go to the hospital every month.

When it finally ended, I was so happy it finally came to an end even though I still have to go to the hospital every three months. I am just so thankful for my mom and dad through all this. And along the way, I met some really nice doctors and nurses that are so kind and will do anything for you.

And that is my experience with cancer.

 

During Ethan’s nearly 4 years of treatment, he received 75 IV chemotherapy treatments and underwent 30 lumbar punctures in which they inserted chemotherapy into his spine while he was under anesthesia. He took several pills daily, and during one phase of treatment had to take chemotherapy injections at home. There were dozens of hospital stays. He still visits Children’s Hospital Colorado four times a year for monitoring.