The Childhood Cancer Blog
The Childhood Cancer Blog
I want to tell the world about a friend of mine. Some call him Patrick O’Malley, others call him a husband but I call him dad. He has been my best friend since the day I was born. When I was a child, we did everything together. He coached both my sister's and my soccer teams growing up. He taught me how to read and write, but most importantly he taught me to be a good person.
I was 7 years old when I was diagnosed with brain cancer. My diagnosis day was my dad's birthday -- May 29. That day, I saw him drop to his knees and cry. There’s something to be said about seeing your dad... Read More
My daughter Lily was diagnosed with a brain tumor called ependymoma 17 years ago.
She is only 18 years old.
Lily’s entire life, at least as much as she can remember, has been in the shadow of cancer. When she was 10 years old, we were talking about childhood cancer. I was trying to make her feel better and less scared. She looked at me and said:
“It’s forever, mommy.”
Lily is cancer-free today, but her life is hardly free of cancer.
There are over 500,000 childhood cancer survivors in the United States. And while 84% of children diagnosed will... Read More
Julia was 15 when she found herself in a napkin gown at the hospital, surrounded by people who seemed so much older than her. She was just a sophomore in high school when she discovered a lump on her breast. By the time doctors confirmed the lump was a tumor, the mass had reached nearly three inches in diameter. Julia had no idea this was something that could happen to someone her age.
“I’m from the Rio Grande Valley, and there isn’t really a big emphasis on cancer education or women’s health,” she says.
Fortunately, the tumor was benign, but even after it was removed,... Read More
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