It's that time of year again. We need to get the word out about our children... Do what you can, email who you can, send letter's, what if you can to make people aware about Childhood Cancer.. I have written a letter wtih Kaitlyn's story in it. Feel free to you my letter and change the story... There is also the same letter from last year at: www.candlelighters.org. I have sent the letter to Oprah.. about 5 times in the last 4 days, Dr. Phil, MSNBC, local newspapers, news stations. We will be holding a benefit here in Columbus, Indiana in September.. we're not sure what we are going to do yet, but we should have it figured out and in the works by the end of the week... If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks...
To Whom It May Concern
My name is Michelle Schwartz. I live in Columbus, Indiana. I write to you today to spread the word about CHILDHOOD CANCER. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and I’m trying to do my part in making people aware that CHILDREN GET CANCER TOO. You see many different commercials, news reports, advertisements support adult cancers such as Breast Cancer, but you rarely see things that support CHILDHOOD CANCER. Yes once in awhile you’ll see commercials for St. Jude’s Research Hospital, but that’s it.
You see, I lost my 9 month old daughter Kaitlyn Marie Schwartz on Feb. 18th, 2006 to a rare childhood cancer. I often wonder how they can call it care when there are so many children that have it, died from it and are being diagnosed with it. This cancer is Rhabdoid/ATRT. My precious baby girl was born a health 8lbs 1 oz and 21 ¼ in on April 29th, 2005. By the end of her second month she was getting extremely fussy. After 3 visit’s to the ER and to her pediatrician she was admitted into the hospital on July 8th, 2005 for testing. She was then transferred to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, MN on July 10th. It was on July 14th that an MRI showed a mass on her lower spine (sacrum area). Surgery was scheduled from July 16th. It took 2 weeks to get pathology results. They came in the day she turned 3 months July 29th. Kaitlyn went through 6 rounds of chemotherapy, 2 surgeries to remove the tumor, stem cell harvest, numerous blood and platelet transfusions, several infections, countless hospital stays, far to many blood draws. On Dec. 13th, 2005 Kaitlyn had a post-op MRI done. Again only after 3 weeks the tumor grew back and bigger (this is what happened after the first surgery in July). Our family had a big decision to make, continue with treatments that where not likely to make a difference, just prolong her life, or stop all treatments and take our baby girl home to enjoy every minute we can with her. We made the hardest decision we would ever have to make on Dec. 14th. Kaitlyn would not go through anymore chemo, she received her last blood transfusion. We made plans to take a family trip to California to see relatives for Christmas. Two weeks after we returned home we took another 5 day trip to Arkansas and Kansas to see more family. On our way home, just hours away things got bad. I was sitting in the backseat with Kaitlyn when she started throwing up, it was not normal. It was Jan. 19th, 2006, I took Kaitlyn to the ER. They really didn’t see what was wrong except for an ear infection. We followed up with her oncologist on Jan 20th. The was the last day Kaitlyn would have to go to the doctor. After having an abdominal x-ray, they found that there was extreme blockage in Kaitlyn’s lower extremities. We knew that her time was coming to an end, as this is what the dr’s predicted would happen. Kaitlyn went home with a tube in her nose, and she couldn’t have anything to eat. She got hooked up on IV fluids, a suction pump connected to the nose tube and a prescription for morphine. We spent day after day wondering when Kaitlyn would drift off to heaven. Each day she got worse, but continue to bless us with her smiles. Here was this baby girl, barely 9 months old, she wasn’t aloud to eat, although we did give her watered down juice in her bottle just for comfort (it came right back out through the tube) and her pacifier. The tumor grew and grew, when Kaitlyn finally went to heaven at 5:48am on Saturday Feb 18th, 2006. It was a very sad moment. Everyone was crying. The living room was full of family and friends, and the most wonderful Hospice nurse anyone could ask for.
So you see why I write to you today. CHILDHOOD CANCER, it’s not fair. It’s not fair to the children that suffer from it each and every day. It’s not fair to the parents who try to do what is best for their children. It’s not fair for parents to bring a healthy baby into the world to suddenly have that world turned upside down. To have to burry their child. It is the most heart wrenching experience any parent should ever have to go through.
I ask you today, please help us parents out. Help out these little children. Help us get the word out that CHILDREN ARE EFFECTED BY CANCER TOO. Help us to get the word out so that we can raise money to fund research that is being done to find cures for these CHILDHOOD CANCERS. Help us in the month of September to put the word out there that CHILDREN HAVE CANCER TOO!!!!! Help us put the awareness out there, during the month of September and every day of the year.
I thank you for your time. Please feel free to contact me through my email: schwartzclan5@msn.com or by phone at. Again, thank you for taking the time to read my daughter’s story at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/kaitlynschwartz.
Thank You
Michelle Schwartz
Columbus, Indiana
Schwartzclan5@msn.com