Upon arriving at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, it was obvious that Ian was not feeling well. He was admitted and doctors took immediate concern towards his condition. After a plethora of questions, blood withdrawals which scared Ian to death, and an IV feed, we began to worry that this could be more serious. I called Dad (Crabtree) to update him on Ian's admittance and other things the doctors had spoken with us about and Dad said, "It sounds like you might have a very sick little boy." Shortly after that conversation, the doctors came into the room and told us that Ian has Leukemia.
...whoa...
I cannot begin to tell you how scared I am. I often have thought about the way I might react to horrible news regarding one of my children and no matter how many times I have imagined it nothing prepared me for this shock. It has always been the 'other guy' up to this point and now it was our turn.
Ian is a sweet little boy. He loves his mommy, daddy, and sisters more than anything (his cars come in a close 2nd). It's near impossible to imagine any little boy having to be diagnosed with cancer...it is so unfair.
The news of this situation has only raised more questions: Is Ian going to suffer? How are we going to pay for this? What kind of insurance nightmares are we going to deal with? Who will take care of Lauryn and Emma. How much time will work allow me to take off? Is this cancer curable? Etc.
A few phone calls was all we needed to make before the news spread to everyone we know. Dad informed the family and close friends informed the entire community. We have the best support group one could imagine. We thank everyone for their prayers, thoughts, and actions. May God bless all of you.
At 8PM I left the hospital to go home and visit Emma and Lauryn. I knew they would have questions. I stopped by the Furstenau's to talk with Emma. Emma asked if Ian was sick and I confirmed. She then asked if he'd get better and I told her he will. She went back to her business to play with Katie and enjoy her first ever sleep over (on a school night). Todd and Laurie then gave me a fantastic pasta dinner and chatted with me about the situation. Thanks guys...you're the best!
I then went by the Stapley's to talk to Lauryn. Lauryn is old enough to understand that Ian has cancer. She asked when he was going to die. Her only experience with cancer has been the recent diagnosis and death of our friend Joe Ortiz. Joe is a member of our ward who was re diagnosed this past December with cancer. He died last week and his funeral is tomorrow. We loved Joe and our hearts are with his family at this time. I educated Lauryn on leukemia and told her that Ian will be sick for a few years and that he has a very good chance that he will be cured completely. She wants to see her little brother and tell him she loves him. We thank the Stapley's for their hospitality, kindness, and words of comfort as well.
Don MacArthur stopped by so we could go grab a soda and talk. Talking with friends helped ease the pains. Don has been through the worst in his family having watched his nephew pass on and he is definitely concerned. I'm blessed to have friends like him close by.
I went back to my empty home and cried more than I have ever cried in my life. At 2AM I finally fell asleep only to be woken up by one of the loudest thunderstorms I have ever heard. I am soooo tired.
Today Ian was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). This photo was taken only a few days ago. Symptoms we didn't realize were related to his leukemia were frequent fevers, his pale skin, and extreme sweating at night (he would wake up drenched). He also complained of having a lot of tummy aches and felt he needed medicine, however we think he was complaining about having pain in all of his bones but didn't know how to explain it to us.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/cancer/cancer_leukemia.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leukemia
