Jalynn Reeter English 101 Pre-Writing Essay August 23, 2016
JW’s Journey
Everyone says Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year”; however, Christmas of the year 2014 was one of the worst for my family. Through this time my family and I have grown closer and become stronger for ourselves and Joseph William Heil. Joseph (JW) is my six year old cousin who is battling one of the world’s current, deadliest diseases. I learned that there is a first for everything, and to stay positive; nevertheless, times will always get better even if there are bad now. My first experience with a serious illness was my, at the time, four year old cousin, JW. It was around Christmas time that he was feeling some discomfort in his lower body around his hips and legs. He was not moving around and playing like a normal four year old. That is when my aunt and uncle knew something was seriously wrong. They went to their local doctor and the blood work they had taken came back with certain levels higher than normal. That is when they went to Children’s Mercy in Kansas City to get many more tests done. About a week after the tests were taken they got them back, finding out that their four year old little boy had cancer. Through the negativity of finding out JW had cancer I had to stay positive. The kind of cancer JW has is, in medical terms, neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is most common in younger kids around five. Usually it targets the adrenal glands at first, and then travels to other parts of the body. Once the doctors had found out what it was, JW had a full body scan to see where it was in his body. I remember my aunt saying to me that he had a tumor on his adrenal gland and when they saw the picture of his body on the scan it lite up like a Christmas tree. I was instantly filled with sadness thinking, what if he never gets better? In spite of that, I knew that I had to stay positive for my family. After they got a plan of action, the doctor's first started with chemotherapy because they said that would help reduce the tumor. Once the tumor was reduced as much as they thought was necessary JW went in for surgery to remove the tumor. They took out almost all of the tumor and he started taking chemo again. After about a year and a half of receiving chemo and radiation JW got put into remission. JW was cancer free for about a year and a half. He took some prescribed medicine every morning and night before bed to try to prevent the cancer from coming back. Then just when we thought he was being himself again and playing like any six year old would, it was back. On July 14, 2016 my aunt called my mom while we were at the county fair and told her that JW’s levels were higher than normal and his cancer was back. This whole experience was a very to find the good times through the hard for my family. From right when we found out, I remember the morning my mom told me crying that it was true he had cancer. We made the best of times whenever JW would go in for treatments when my grandparents would take my baby cousin Jacob, so it would be just a little bit less stress for my aunt and uncle. Just knowing that someone in my immediate family could be sick would have made me even more scared if JW didn’t have support. Cancer is something that is happening more and more often but when it happens to someone close, it’s really hard on everyone. It was hard on everyone but through the bad time we found the good. From this experience I learned there will be a first for everything, and when it comes stay positive; still, times will be bad at times and good during others. My family has grown much closer in the past couple years. JW’s little bald head is the only thing stopping him from being a normal six year old to anyone else. My first real experience with illness was a tough one and one that my whole family is still going through. He is the strongest boy I know, and with the support from my family and I, by next Christmas, he will be all better again!