Devin's Story
written by mom Alisa
Devin was born on March 13th, 1996. He was a
very much wanted and loved little boy since before he was born. He was born
with a twinkle in his eye and a dimple in his cheek. Rarely unhappy and
always a picture of health.
Ever since birth, Devin has always been on a quest for knowledge. At a young
age he would sit and be read to for hours. He has always seemed wiser than
his years and from early on had big plans for his life.
He began reading when only a preschooler and hasn’t stopped since. He has
always loved school so much. It was heartbreaking when last year he had to
miss so much school due to “asthma”.
Who would have thought asthma could cause a child to be sick time and time
again. Pneumonia, strep throat, throwing up constantly, weight loss, night
sweats and breathing problems; for once in Devin’s young life he was
actually sick. Constantly sick. We weren’t used to it and begged and pleaded
with his physician that something just wasn’t right. His younger sister,
Kara, who went to the same school was healthy and well; why wasn’t Devin?
What was going on?
We found out on September 17th, 2003 what was going on. Our little boy did
NOT have asthma, but a mediastinal mass in his chest that was cutting off
his airway. He was diagnosed with a collapsed right lung and superior vena
cava syndrome with mediastinal mass. Possible and probable diagnosis was
cancer.
After being stabilized by having radiation treatments to shrink the mass he
was taken into surgery to do a biopsy and place a central line. Scans and
biopsy showed that our sweet Devin had Non Hodgkin's T-cell Lymphoblastic
Lymphoma Stage III. We had no real idea exactly what this meant except he
could receive chemotherapy and hopefully be cured.
Treatment was tough, but Devin is a fighter. Thank God for his strong spirit
and fighting power. He fought harder than any little boy or girl should. An
allergic reaction to a chemo drug in October left him with blood clots in
his brain. Even though he was in terrible pain he did not complain. His
motor skills were compromised at the time, but thanks to several months of
twice daily shots his brain is now clear.
Currently he is on chemotherapy treatment. He doesn’t like it, but he knows
it is his hope for a cancer free life. Like he says; he is tougher than
cancer!! We believe him and we know he will beat this!! Devin has big plans
for his future. Right now his biggest goal is becoming cancer free.
Abilities:
See: Yes.
Hear: Yes.
Talk: Yes.
Walk: Yes.
Read: Yes.
Use hands: Yes.
Siblings:
sister Kara, age 10
Child's Interests:
Devin loves to read. His interests change frequently, but currently he is
very interested in airplanes. He loves rock and roll. Aerosmith is his
favorite band. Loves to listen to music and play his electric guitar. His
favorite television shows are SpongeBob and The Simpsons.
Sibling's Interests:
Kara loves girly things. She loves to dress up and play with her dolls and
Barbies. She loves to go to school and to her dancing lessons. Mostly though
she loves her brother and wants him to be well and back in school.
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