Bringing Humor and Hope to the Fight for Life
Kathleen Conway, RN
Mother of Daniel Conway, Cancer Survivor
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I have a love for every single person who was
part of that experience.
- Kathleen Conway, RN |
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We were where we were supposed to be, with
the people we were supposed to be with.
- Kathleen Conway, RN |
Daniel was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic
leukemia on July 20, 2001. He was 12.
The bottom fell out of my life.
We live near Youngstown, Ohio. Daniel started chemo at the
children's hospital there, went into remission, then went on oral
chemotherapy. But that devastated his liver, and we had to stop. He
relapsed July 5, 2002. That's when they told me to start thinking
about a bone marrow
transplant.
Our first visit to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical
Center was September 10, 2002. The initial consultation was
very, very scary. Dr. Frank
Smith told us without a transplant Daniel had no chance of
living one year. With a transplant he had a 30-40 percent
chance.
It was a very somber ride home. But Daniel is really something.
He said, "I don't care what they say. I'm doing this, and I'm going
to live!"
We had no problem finding a donor match for the stem cells for
the transplant. The cells came from an umbilical cord. Daniel's
transplant was October 14, 2002.
He was in the hospital almost a month. As a result of the
medication he was on, he had this big moon face, a bald head, hair
growing out of his ears. He gained more than 80 pounds. He handled
it by laughing. We listened to funny things. We laughed every
day.
The whole cancer team welcomed me. In the morning on rounds,
they came in and talked to me. They were comforting in their
knowledge. And they listened to me, because I was in the room 24
hours a day.
Everyone really, really knew what they were doing. Our nurse
practitioner, Gretchen Vaughn,
understood how much we craved information. She told me, "We know
the torment you're in. Immediately upon our knowing any test
results, you'll know." They care. The housekeeper, Annie Watkins,
just did her job so well. She was an important entity on the team,
a bright part of our day.
I have a love for every single person who was part of that
experience. We were where we were supposed to be, with the people
we were supposed to be with. When we come to Cincinnati Children's,
we feel safe.
Daniel is 16 now. He plays football and hockey. I tell him he
should talk about his experience. I tell him: You put a face on
your diagnosis. You put a face on what stem cells can do.
