The past three nights have felt like an eternity, as I lie awake trying to find the right words to describe the nightmare that Nick and I have found ourselves in. It all started last Thursday when I took Nixon in to have his leg looked at. He’d been complaining of leg pain for a couple of weeks, and we were doing everything we could think of to help with his growing pains. I went in hoping for suggestions on what more I could do, beyond the usual remedies. But nothing could have prepared me for what came next.
After a quick X-ray, I was anxious to finish up so we could head to St. George for a baseball tournament. But when the doctor came back, he asked to speak with me privately. He showed me the X-rays and pointed out a couple of tumors on Nixon’s femur. My world shifted in an instant. Within hours, we found ourselves at Primary Children’s Hospital, being checked into the oncology department.Nixon, as brave as ever, packed his backpack with stuffed animals, his vet kit, his iPad, and army coloring sheets. It was supposed to be just another day, but we were quickly thrust into something unimaginable. That night, he had another X-ray and blood drawn, with samples sent to the lab for analysis. Friday morning, Nixon underwent a CT scan, followed by an MRI and a bone scan. In the afternoon, he went into surgery to take a sample from the tumor in his bone to determine whether it was cancerous.
Three long hours later, we learned the heartbreaking news: the tumors were indeed cancerous. During the surgery, doctors also placed a port in Nixon’s chest for chemotherapy treatments. When he returned, he was tired, sore, and understandably shaken. That evening, we met with the oncologist, who shared the grim diagnosis: Nixon has osteosarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer that has spread to his lungs, where there are numerous small tumors.Our sweet Nixon, just a young boy, is now in the fight of his life.
This week, we will begin chemotherapy, and after about ten weeks, we will have a better idea of how his body is responding. As difficult as this is, we are staying hopeful, relying on each other and our amazing support system. Nixon’s strength and resilience are beyond inspiring.