Seeing a child go through sickness is heartbreaking. Unfortunately, this is a long-term situation for families of children with cancer. Laura Stevenson-James has been in this situation with her daughter, Haven James, for two years now. On April 2, 2021, when she was just four years old, Haven James was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-Cell ALL).
When visiting family in Iowa, Haven James began to have a fever and an abnormally high heart rate. After taking her to the hospital and having many tests done, the doctors began to suspect cancer.
“They started asking all of these questions about her health history and I specifically said, ‘Please tell me you're not thinking the C word,’” Stevenson-James said.
Unfortunately, this is exactly what the doctors were worried about. With extremely low hemoglobin and unusual lab results, the doctors knew something was wrong. After being admitted into the hospital for one night, the doctors had a diagnosis for James. She came back home and began treatment at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago right away.
“There's no radiation or other surgeries since she has blood cancer. Unless the child develops another tumor somewhere else secondarily, there's not anything to do radiation or surgery on since it's all in their blood,” Stevenson-James said. “Her type of cancer is the most curable childhood cancer, but it's really easy for kids with her type of cancer to go into remission.”
Because of this, James was given a two-and-a-half year treatment plan right off the bat. She is now six years old and has five months left of chemotherapy. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have been very strict about the number of visitors they allow in per patient. However, James has still had a ton of support from her parents and her two sisters, Dylan and Avery.
“I’ve gone to almost every treatment she’s had completely by myself,” Stevenson-James said. “My husband has been able to come to a few things. Her sisters have definitely rallied around her as well.”
Throughout all of this, James has been a warrior. With a team of help from her family, she has persevered through her difficult situation, and managed to inspire everyone around her. James also received a ton of support from the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation (NICK).
“NICK was fantastic. The minute that your child is diagnosed, they send you a check for whatever it is that you need help with,” Stevenson-James said. “They send gas gift cards periodically, and at Christmas, they generously give Amazon gift cards to all their families.”
NICK helped to pass legislation that changed Northwest Indiana healthcare restrictions. They made it possible for James to be admitted to a Chicago hospital that was closer to her home. Stevenson-James seems to be hearing about new pediatric cancer patients more and more frequently. She wants to make sure people know how to handle situations like this the best they can.
“If you have a child with cancer, make sure their lives get to stay as normal as possible. Lurie was very much advocating towards having her do as much as she could that she had done before. They still want these children to go to school whenever possible.” Stevenson-James said.
Stevenson-James understands how important it is for parents of children with cancer to take care of their own mental health as well. It can be a very draining and lonely journey to go on, and it is imperative that parents stay healthy in order to keep their child healthy. Stevenson-James also wants to raise more awareness about treatments for pediatric cancer. Since it is less common than adult cancer, there is not much research or time put into new treatments for childhood cancer.
“Only 4% of all funding from the National Institute of Health is geared at pediatric cancer research,” Stevenson-James said. “Children deserve more than 4% of that funding. You see new breast cancer and colon cancer and lung cancer treatments. You see these drugs advertised on TV all the time, and there's hardly any new development for pediatric cancer.”
NICK is a huge part of gaining funding for Pediatric Cancer research. Donating to this organization, as well as participating in their fundraisers, will help them to raise money and treat their children more efficiently. Stevenson-James is confident that with her help and yours, more than 4% of funding will be available for pediatric cancer research. Kids like James who go through such difficult sickness and treatment plans so early in their lives deserve more.
“Haven is a warrior. She's our little Superwoman,” Stevenson-James said.
To learn more about the Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids foundation and the different ways you can help, visit their website at nwicancerkids.org.