Lucas - Anchorage

Lucas’s story leading to his ALL diagnosis started in early February 2023, when Lucas randomly complained of his feet and ankles being sore. Being an active and growing 6-year-old, we chalked it up to growing pains. He had been eating more than usual and seemed due for a growth spurt, so it made sense to us. On February 15th we headed to Hawaii for some much needed sunshine. Lucas continued to complain of sore ankles and feet, and sometimes his left shin while we were on vacation. We'd rub his feet and legs, and he'd put on a tough face and move on. We noticed he seemed kind of lazy, didn't want to swim in the pool the entire time (which is completely out of character for Lucas), and that he was laying around a lot more, and sleeping more as well. Again, we figured he was a growing boy, and maybe just needed the extra rest. Nobody was going to give him a hard time about being lazy on vacation.  On February 28th we returned home, and resumed "normal life" on Wednesday, March 1st. 

Both Lucas and his brother, Nathan, went to school Wednesday through Friday and all was good. After school on Friday, both boys took the dogs on a walk around the block. When they returned, Lucas complained his feet, ankles and left leg were all hurting. He got on the couch and stayed there until he cried himself to sleep around 7pm. At that point, it was decided something was definitely wrong. Saturday, March 4, he woke up, crawled from his room to the couch, and immediately fell back to sleep. Kim (Mom) took Lucas to ER where she explained that this is completely out of character and described the pain he had complained of. Lucas fell asleep more than once while being shuffled around at the ER, solidifying the idea that something just wasn’t right. Blood work was performed at Kim's insistence (and unbeknownst to us, labs were confirmed a second time before delivering the news), and then they told Kim something no parent ever wants to hear..."preliminary bloodwork indicates leukemia"...

 A whirlwind of activity commenced, and several tests later found Lucas hospitalized at Providence Children's Hospital and undergoing treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  In addition to chemotherapy infusions, and oral chemo medications, Lucas was diagnosed with High Risk ALL and had to do 10 cranial radiation treatments the last two weeks of February 2024. Lucas went through almost 10 months of both inpatient chemo as well as outpatient infusions and medications at home.  This phase is called “consolidation” and it is typically the toughest.  After finishing consolidation, Lucas started his cranial radiation.  He was such a trooper, all the nurses and doctors were shocked how well he did. No calming meds were needed, he just headed into the room and laid there listening to the music. Unfortunately, 5 weeks after radiation he experienced Somnolence Syndrome…it’s a side effect of cranial radiation that occurs 5-6 weeks after treatment ends and is more common in children. Symptoms include sleeping up to 20 hours a day, lack of appetite, general lethargy. There isn't anything they can do, it just gradually goes away on its own, but it took weeks! We were just happy to have an answer since it felt like he was having his original pre-diagnosis leukemia symptoms all over again!

 Our family was absolutely humbled by the outpouring of support after Lucas's diagnosis.  Not only did his school, Birchwood Christian School, do a walk-a-thon fundraiser for our family, but Homestead Elementary did as well.  The Anchorage Wolverines raised money in Lucas's honor and had us create a Go Fund Me page that they advertised during a game.  During the Hero Walk put on by Alaska Pediatric Specialists we were introduced to Katie's Handprint and received monetary support from them as well.  We are so thankful for all the financial support, it helped to relieve one of the many burdens during an extremely stressful time.

 Lucas will take his last dose of Chemotherapy on July 11, 2025, 860 days after his diagnosis. We could never have imagined going through this, but it was made easier by the wonderful team at the Providence Children’s Hospital and all of the new friends we’ve made along the way. Their support, dedication, and knowledge has made this journey as smooth as possible.  We are also extremely grateful for everyone who has sent gifts, cards, words of encouragement, and endless prayers.