10th ANNUAL TEXAS JIMMY FUND GOLF TOURNAMENT
“I would love to share with you and your donors my son Philip’s story in hopes that it will inspire and help your efforts grow as a result.
Our story I am sure is not unlike any other family’s story that one day went to bed with a normal life with just the usual things to worry and complain about, but that changed in a heartbeat. In October of 1994, my son Philip, at the time just 3 years of age, was diagnosed with Leukemia (ALL) by the doctors at Schneider’s children’s hospital on Long Island NY where we live. They told us that there was an 80% success rate with the treatment protocol that they were using and that Philip would be fine. Within 6 weeks they managed to put Philip into remission, they continued with the protocol and Philip remained cancer free until he relapsed in December of 1995 at which point they said his Leukemia had now also moved into his CNS (central nervous system) and that this would be harder to treat and that the chances were not as good with only a 60% success rate. They placed a shunt in his head so that they could inject the chemotherapy directly into the brain area but unfortunately this was not working and soon they discovered that the shunt was creating pressure to Philip’s head and they had to remove it. The story becomes much more complex and intense at this point.
Upon removal of the shunt Philip suffered a cranial bleed which nearly killed him and which left him in a coma. When he awoke from the coma we found that there had been significant brain damage and that he was now also semi paralyzed on his left side. So a once normal healthy boy who was full of life was now fighting to live. Soon after the doctors and social worker approached us and suggested that we take Philip home to die because they felt there was nothing more that could be done and he should just be given some quality of life time. As you can imagine my reaction was not very agreeable to this at all. I will not get into some of the verbal exchanges that took place between me and the hospital staff but suffice it to say that I informed them that I would be seeking alternative solutions. We contacted St. Jude’s in Tennessee and were turned away because they felt that Philip was not treatable. We next contacted Baylor Medical Center right there in Houston TX and they agreed to see Philip because they had a new experimental drug that they were working with. So we flew to Houston and spent 3 days there while Philip was evaluated by the doctors but we were told that because of the cranial bleed that there was too much fluid in the brain area and that made Philip ineligible for their experimental treatment. To say we were crushed by this news would be a major understatement to say the least. I will admit that I didn’t know what I was going to do next. A colleague of mine mentioned that she had a cousin who was a research doctor at the Dana Faber Cancer Institute in Boston also known as the Jimmy Fund Clinic. She contacted him and he setup an evaluation for Philip by the doctors there.
It was now March 1996, 2 months after the doctors at Schneider’s had all but given up on Philip. We went up to Brookline and stayed at the Ronald McDonald House there while the doctors at the Jimmy Fund performed tests on Philip. Within 3 days they said that they would accept Philip into the clinic and that they felt they could place him back into remission but that would be a temporary solution because he would need a BMT (bone marrow transplant) in order to have any chance at all of long term survival. In the span of 3 weeks and 6 injections they had Philip back in remission. Now we began the search for a donor and found that none of the family members were a match so it was now up to the national donor registry. With all our prayers, a match was found in late May 1996 and a transplant was scheduled for July. They now had to wipeout all of Philip’s own bone marrow so that they could transplant him. They did this with heavy full body radiation. The day came and Philip received his transplant. The road has been a difficult one and will continue to be so for the rest of his life BUT, Philip is now 19 years old and enjoys life surrounded by his family and friends. John I share this because if not for the doctor at the Jimmy Fund Clinic and folks like you who raise money so that they can help families like mine I fear that my dear son Philip might not be here with us today. I cannot even put into words the gratitude that I have for the doctors and the Jimmy Fund Clinic. I hope that your fund raising activities are a huge success. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.”
Sincerely,
John Formica
Money + Research = Life
“My name is Keith, I was diagnosed when I was five years old with acute lymphatic leukemia. At that time not a lot was known about the disease and it did not have a very successful cure rate. Luckily, our family physician, Dr. Rosenbloom had been in the navy with a doctor who knew of a new treatment for cancer called chemotherapy. When my parents had the diagnosis confirmed, they were told I had two weeks to two months at best. Next to Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts was a small nondescript building where I began my treatment. When I began my treatment, I was one of six children who started on the program, four including me, made it through the first six months. Sadly, in the end, I was the only survivor of the group.
After an initial hospital stay, I began going to the center every day or every other day for a month, then two or three times a week for short treatments. Treatment is much different now, of course. As things progressed it went from every day to three times a week to four times a month. During the course of treatment new drugs were developed and it seemed just in time. I responded well to them and went into remission. After 5 years in remission it was a huge victory for everyone that I was cancer free. I have never had a reoccurrence since.
The little brick building with no name on it has now become the Dana Farber Cancer Center and my family still remembers the day I saw a sign that said Cancer Center and asked if I had cancer. My parents said yes and I said, “It will be okay, I’m in good hands here.” I had the trust and faith of a small child and the doctors and nurses were and still the best people I have ever met. Their kindness and understanding is incomparable and so is their dedication to saving lives. My family and I were always treated with compassion and no matter how many questions we asked, they took the time to answer us in the detail we so desperately needed.
To this day, my family still gives to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Their research is why so many people have so much hope for survival and quality of life. It takes money for research to find a way to make treatment more and more effective and less painful and expensive.
Please give to the cause. We all know someone that has been affected by cancer. Help save their life and the lives of others. I still to this day remember the other children in the hospital with me. They were my friends for a short time, but I will never forget them. Any contribution is helpful. Life is very short, let’s help extend it.”
Keith Hefferan
Leukemia Survivor