By Kati O’Hare
Daily Press Writer
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Even talking to him, he seems like a typical boy who love to fish, hike and ski, but for several months, his childhood has been put on hold for regular trips to Denver for chemotherapy.
“I didn’t think it would be cancer, but I wasn’t surprised because I’d seen the X-rays and it definitely didn’t look like a normal heart,” Jeremy said.
In February, Jeremy’s parents, Melissa and E.J. Trujillo became concerned after their son’s sickness wouldn’t go away.
They noticed he was falling asleep with a book in this lap, something that didn’t happen because he loved to read for long hours before bed. Melissa’s first concern was pneumonia and she took him to Montrose Memorial Hospital.
It would be the start of many hospital visits.
A X-ray of Jeremy’s chest showed concerns. It look like he had an enlarged heart, E.J. said, so they were instructed to start nebulizer treatments at home. Within two weeks, Jeremy was back to his energetic self, playing and fighting with this triplet sisters, Mariah and Kaela.
When he returned to the doctor for a checkup though, the enlarged area had not shrunk and a CAT scan showed a possible enlarged thymus or an unidentified mass in the chest. The results were sent to pediatric radiologists in Denver who determined they needed to see Jeremy right away — there was a possibility it was cancer.
Melissa and E.J. pulled the girls out of school, packed some bags and within two hours were on their way to Denver.
The family arrived at Presbyterian Saint Luke’s Hospital on Saturday, April 14. Within 12 hours Jeremy was in surgery. Doctors performed a biopsy through a “quick freeze” procedure, which is where a piece of the mass is tested for cancer, and on April 15, he was diagnosed with lymphoblastic lymphoma.
The disease
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which includes tissues and organs such as the spleen and tonsils, according to the Lymphoma Research Foundation. It also includes lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, and small bean-shaped organs called lymph nodes, which helps the body fight infections and disease. It is the most common blood cancer and the third most common cancer in children.
Lymphoblastic lymphoma is a “rare form” of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to www.cancerbackup.org. There are two types of lymphoma, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin.
There are more than 25 types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The disease starts in the lymph nodes and can circulate to all parts of the body through the lymphatic vessels and bloodstream.
In Jeremy, the large mass in his chest was a tumor. It was 14 centimeters at its greatest length.
According to the foundation, though most lymphoma is localized to one area, by the time the diagnosis is confirmed it may be present in other parts of the body.
Doctors performed a biopsy on Jeremy and placed a “mediport,” a device that is implanted under the skin so medication can be delivered directly into the blood system, into his chest. Mediports eliminate the constant entering and removing of IVs.
They also took samples from his spinal fluid and bone marrow, which revealed no cancerous cells in those areas.
“At that point we still didn’t know what it was,” E.J. said. “The doctor was saying, best case scenario it was Hodgkin’s disease ... every step of the way when we got presented, it might be this or it might be this, best-case scenario this, worse-case scenario this, it always seemed to turn out the worse-case scenario.”
The “road map”
After the diagnosis, the family found out the “road map” for Jeremy’s treatment. For nine months to a year he undergoes intense chemotherapy, completing the first four stages of treatment.
Throughout those months, weekly chemotherapy is administered through methods including IV infusions and injections, spinal injections and oral medication.
The family has spent weeks in Denver while Jeremy receives his treatment, too scared to return while his blood counts are low in fear of infections that will only take them back to Denver.
“It’s been tough just knowing this is happening to him,” E.J. said. “As we go through it, there are things that are hard about it that we didn’t anticipate — treatment in Denver, the side effects of the meds and taking care of the girls. Cancer itself is hard, but it’s things we haven’t imagined that we deal with on a day-to-day basis.”
When the intense treatment is done, Jeremy will be receiving care in Grand Junction monthly and in Denver once every three months.
Through it all, Melissa and E.J. have been amazed with Jeremy’s strength and positive outlook.
“It’s OK,” Jeremy said he tells his mother when she gets sad.
Melissa said he told her that the cancer is “just something we have to deal with.” He tells her that he is going to get through this and it is going to go away.
“I’m taking my medicines, so I’m not going to ...,” he said.
A support system
Melissa and E.J. both have dog tags hanging from their necks that have Jeremy’s second-grade photo engraved on them. The tags read: MK x 2 — miracle kid times two.
When Jeremy and his two sisters were born, there was the risk that they might not make it. All three children spent one month in neonatal ICU, a care unit for premature infants.
“We knew we had a high risk pregnancy and we knew there was a chance they wouldn’t make it,” Melissa said. “There was never a minute I thought it wasn’t going to be OK. I just knew it was going to be OK. But with this — it feels different.”
They hope he’ll get a second miracle. Lymphoblastic lymphoma, in Jeremy’s case, is considered 90 to 95 percent curable through chemotherapy.
Mariah and Keala also have dog tags around their necks.
“The girls are really supportive of him,” Melissa said. “They let him know they love him. I think they are going to be strong, all three of them, because of their relationship and their personalities.”
The family has also receive great support from the community through donations made to a Montrose Bank account, frozen dinners and money for a monthly house cleaning.
“We have an amazing support system. This community is awesome,” she said.
The family said Jeremy’s oncologist, Julie Zimbleman, has also made the process more bearable.
“We have never met a better doctor. She is not just our doctor, she is our friend,” Melissa said.
Mariah and Keala said they added each night to the dinner prayer, “Thank you for Doctor Zimbleman.”
Living normal
“There are a lot of things that he is not allowed to do,” E.J. said. “(We’re) allowing him to do as many things as possible to keep normalcy.”
Because Jeremy is at risk of infections throughout the treatment, his parents keep him away from enclosed places and anyone who might be sick.
Melissa said they are lucky that it is summer and Jeremy can spend lots of time outside.
He enjoys hiking, skateboarding and swimming. He does have to avoid inside pools and untreated water.
“That stinks,” Jeremy said.
He spends a lot of time playing his Game Boy and even spent a day at Splash Water Park in Denver.
What has kept Jeremy’s spirits high is a special place, he said. “Thinking about going to Willow Swamps.”
The family’s favorite camping and hiking spot located off the Dallas Divide, Willow Swamps has millions of mushrooms for Jeremy to find.
“We fish and find mushrooms,” he said. “Next time I am going to get a mushroom book.”
Through it all, the Trujillo family keeps a smile on their faces. They understand that they road is tough, but they live day to day, Melissa said.
Jeremy said he wants to find the cause of cancer; figure out how to prevent it, as opposed to just “fixing it.”
Like most cancers, the cause of lymphoblastic lymphoma is unknown, but Jeremy hopes that may change.
“You can get cancer shots or just take a pill every day so you don’t get it,” Jeremy said.
E.J. said one time Jeremy told him it was better that he got cancer than someone else.
“Some people would probably not put up with it as well,” he said.
To keep updated on Jeremy’s condition, visit his Web site at www.caringbridge.org, click on “visit a CaringBridge site” and enter “Jeremy Trujillo.”
Contact Kati O’Hare via e-mail at katio@montrosepress.com
Kaitlyn Heichel wrote on Nov 3, 2009 2:01 PM:
Sarah Bond wrote on Jul 13, 2009 5:31 PM: