September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!

Meet Silas, one of our littlest cancer warriors, and read about his cancer journey as told by his mother, Molly Core.

September is childhood cancer awareness month.  Every September, advocacy organizations, healthcare institutions, patients, and families raise awareness for childhood cancer.  I have been blessed with the opportunity to write about Silas’ cancer journey and how it affected my family.  Of course, I needed a week or so to reflect, so put on your listening ears, because I don’t tell short stories.

We are coming up on our 5th anniversary of his cancer diagnosis.  I think this is a date that most childhood cancer mommas and daddies don’t forget.  October 10, 2017, Neuroblastoma Stage 4S.  I remember this day like it was yesterday.  He was so, so sick.  As a nurse, I knew his symptoms were very bad.  I was trying to figure out if I was going to lose him.  How could we live without him??? I know that is hard to hear, but it was our reality.  I had hope, but I was also really terrified.  I didn’t know how I could continue to be a wife to Steven and a mother to Jaiden.  Jaiden was only 6 years old and greatly affected mentally and emotionally.  That same day, I prayed for bravery, stood up tall, and decided we had to fight. 

The journey was dreadful and scary, especially the unknown.  For the first 4 weeks, I think I cried more than I didn’t. Steven and I were both a mess.  From there on our life revolved around many IV pokes, blood draws, scans of all kinds, many surgeries, chemo, blood transfusions, ports, and all the life-saving modern medicines available, thankfully.  But in that time, I became a HUGE advocate for Silas, although I may have been a little sassy about it. Despite all the hard times, our journey was also so positive and life-changing in a special way.  God moves in mysterious ways! Throughout this journey, we met many loving, caring, special people.  Hundreds? Thousands? It would take me forever to name them all.  Family, friends, nurses, doctors, organizations, strangers, even.  Supporting us through so much, some not even knowing us.  God introduced us to the most genuine people in the world.  Our hardships changed our way of thinking, and our way of life completely.  I started to cherish each moment a little more and love a little deeper.  Relationships with friends and family became stronger and more important than ever.  And once we came out of the trenches, we wanted to start giving back to organizations that helped my family and other families.

I am the BIGGEST childhood cancer advocate now! Before this experience, I knew nothing about childhood cancer, but now, I continuously research, do my best to educate, and promote organizations that fund research, and will continue to tell Silas’ story.  And as he gets older, I get to tell HIM how brave he was during those hard times and that he in an ultimate survivor!

Click on the picture above to learn more about how we can help fight Childhood Cancer from St. Jude Children’s Hospital.