On March 6th 2019 I decided to bring Holden to an urgent care facility after work to be assessed for the flu and strep throat. I explained his symptoms: low grade fever on and off, runny nose, tired - all seemed pretty common for a virus in a 9 month old baby. The doctors and nurses came in frequently to check on us and to update us as results came back negative. On a whim, Josh thought to mention “Our family has a history of blood cancer.” They asked for more details and we explained that Josh, Holden’s father, had Acute Myeloid Leukemia when he was 19  years old (13 years prior). The doctor decided to draw blood from Holden to be safe. While waiting for the results Holden developed petechiae all over his body (these are busted blood vessels that are prevalent when your platelets aren’t functioning properly or are low). The doctor came in and said “we ran the results twice and something is off. You need to go the VCU Emergency Room tonight, you don’t need an ambulance but you need to go soon.” Leaving the urgent care facility my head was spinning. We made a couple phone calls, kissed our daughter, Piper, goodbye, and headed straight to VCU.

The urgent care doctor gave us no indication about why we needed to go to VCU so promptly. She also didn’t tell us that she had made a call to the oncologist on call to be expecting us. We waited for hours in our emergency room bay. So much blood was drawn. Holden had bandages and wraps all over - he had an IV that they covered with a small sock to stop him from messing with it. The Emergency Room staff were all very friendly and checked on us frequently. We watched TV and stayed positive for most of the visit - until a doctor came in, closed the curtain behind him, and sat down. At this point we knew something was very wrong. I remember being frozen as I heard him say “blood cancer.” My eyes welled with tears and I stared blankly ahead. We were told we would be admitted and we would know more as further testing came in. We were later rolled upstairs, greeted with nurses wearing full face shields and smocks (this was precovid times so the sight was a true shock and terrifying). The memories that are most vivid that night are being rolled in and seeing the “crib” that looked like a tiny jail cell with metal bars and holding my baby down for what seemed like hours so that vial after vial of blood could be drawn. 

The upcoming days were a blur of tears, consultations, and procedures. After the initial shock wore off we began to befriend all of the nurses and staff on the 7th floor. As the days in the hospital went on our daughter would visit and we were all together in our room trying to keep things as normal as possible. Piper introduced Holden to everyone as Baby Hoho and the name stuck. Over the next 6 months Baby Hoho was welcomed to the 7th floor dozens of times and always had tons of visitors with smiling faces. Through our time in treatment we were introduced to a few different cancer organizations. We were connected with ASK and learned all of the services they provided for Cancer Families. They sent care packages, provided financial assistance, gift cards for groceries and gas, and free therapy sessions with a psychologist. These critical needs were met during the scariest moment of our lives. 

Our sweet boy finished treatment in August 2019 and is a thriving five year old now. He is rocking Kindergarten, loves to ride his bike, and will find any creature in nature to study. As we are nearly 5 years off treatment he now only visits the oncologist twice a year - soon only once a year!! As we transition into “normal life” and no longer feel like a “cancer family” as often we still feel supported and cheered for by ASK and fully connected to the community we have built through summer camp, family socials, and numerous other events.