January 8th 2020, we were given the news that our 10 month old son had cancer. We were devastated to say the least. Our world came to a screeching halt and we were now in the fight for his life. The cancer is called Bilateral Retinoblastoma and it is deadly. In short, it is a mutation of the RB-1 cell that develops the eyes, and is also found in the pineal gland in the brain. Typically, if caught early it can be contained and treatment can be lifesaving. Fast forward to today. We were fortunate to have found the cancer before it spread to the rest of the body, but we were unfortunate that we could not save his eyes. Both eyes had to be removed to prevent the spreading of this deadly disease. Although he is with us now, pediatric cancer patients are never really free from recurrence. “The most common form of death from illness for children over the age of 1 is cancer… [and] although cancer risk increases with age, [a] study showed that childhood cancer survivors who were older than 40 had a more than twofold increased risk of developing a second cancer than would be expected in the general population” (Cancer Risk for Childhood Cancer Survivors – National Cancer Institute). Fighting it for the first time was tough enough, and learning that our son would be more susceptible to cancer later in life was surely a huge blow to the gut. This is our story.
Unfortunately, there are pediatric cancer patients who do not get the opportunity to see adulthood. They do not get to go to prom, they do not get the chance to go to college, nor do they get the opportunity to fall in love, get married, or start a family. And this is what we want to change. Along our journey we were blessed with overwhelming support from many individuals and organizations. Help that came with emotional and spiritual support, monetary support, and logistical support, just to name a few. It was because of all the support we received that we knew we had to pay it forward and help other families like us. This is how Kids Kicking Cancer – TX started. We wanted to hold a fundraising event that would rally supporters from all walks of life, gathered in one place, once a year, and also have a lot of fun doing it. We couldn’t believe the turnout and support the first year, and we knew that this is something that matters to everyone.
Prosthetic Eye Program: During our second year of Kids Kicking Cancer – TX, we were at a doctor’s appointment with my son’s Oncologist Ophthalmologist for a routine checkup when we found out that some pediatric cancer kids, that have lost their eye(s) to cancer, cannot afford to pay for new prosthetic eyes (as kids grow and they need new prosthetic eyes to accommodate growth in bone structure). This dilemma was also confirmed by our son’s Ocularist later that week. Furthermore, it was also told to us that some insurances, as well as Medicaid, will not fund prosthetic eyes for kids. It was then that we knew we needed to step up and help get kids that lost their eyes to cancer new prosthetic eyes.