05/26/2026
How about a "Tell It Like It Is Tuesday" post? 🙂
Cancer changes everything. 💛
Even the small, everyday things that once felt simple and ordinary.
Think about what most of us did as kids when we got a fever:
- Napped on the couch
- Drank water, Kool-Aid, or Gatorade
- Ate Jello and popsicles
- Watched daytime TV… like The Price is Right with Bob Barker (I know I did)
But during cancer treatment, a fever means something entirely different.
Instead of resting at home, you head to the hospital for:
- Bloodwork
- Nasal swabs
- Throat swabs
- Fluids
- IV antibiotics
When a child has a central line (port), infection risks are never taken lightly. Every precaution matters when a fever is present. If ANC levels are high enough, they’ll send you home. If immunity is low, admission becomes the safer option.
So even during the “maintenance” phase of cancer treatment… when life starts to look a little more normal again… families still find themselves navigating rough terrain.
Thankfully, this kid is a fighter. 💪
He walked around in the wild with leukemia for who knows how long before diagnosis. A silly virus isn’t slowing him down now. Outpatient, it is. 😂
Yesterday, a nurse told Marshall:
“Normally with a fever, you just stay home and rest and drink Gatorade. But not when you have leukemia. It changes things. You get to come see us.”
*Had.
HAD leukemia.
If I’m being honest, that comment stung at first. To me, it felt like another reminder that Marshall is “different.” And some days, we don’t want the reminder.
But later, I realized maybe it was meant to remind us of something else entirely:
He’s still here.
Still fighting.
Still healing.
Still moving forward. 💛🎗️
For that, we are eternally thankful.
… And that’s why we run. To continue trying to make a difference for other children and families battling pediatric cancer. Because you never know when a family will suddenly find themselves navigating rough terrain... overwhelmed, exhausted, and scared of what comes next. In those moments, support becomes everything.
💛🎗️💛🎗️
