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Jackson's Journey, Birmingham, AL (2026)

08/05/2026

Please continue to pray!!!

We were at clinic 6 hours this morning. ANC was 2,270! 🙌 Hemoglobin and platelets were below normal but okay. We mentioned Jackson had a cough for a few days but no other symptoms. His liver labs were still angry but not yet the required 20x’s above to upper normal limit so we had to proceeded with chemo. When we got home Jackson napped a few hours and woke up with a fever that climbed quickly.

This has been another rough ER visit! We have no real answers yet. Jackson fever is better. He got chest x rays, labs, antibiotics, and he is receiving a resuscitation bolus now because his heart rate is high. We were told we were being admitted but then we were told there are NO rooms upstairs. It is heart breaking that the oncology floor is completely full and can’t take other oncology patients. I hate so many children are fighting cancer! We were told we aren’t the only ones stuck in the ER right now waiting on a room to open up. We have to remain in the ER because they won’t admit him to just any other floor because exposure risk are too high. Which makes no sense, because exposure risk are super high in the ER. Please pray for a safe space for us to open up soon and for answers for what is going on with our baby! We are so tired and would love a bathroom that isn’t down the germy hall shared will all the stomach bugs and sickness of the ER. Please also pray that we get no other germs while we are “boarded”/stuck in the ER for an undetermined time.

08/05/2026

Headed to the ER with Jackson. High fever and terrible cough please pray

07/30/2026

Jackson had his MRI last week. It showed no Osteonecrosis, commonly known as avascular necrosis (AVN) of the bone. After we got the results I told Jackson and he quickly replied “I know Mom. I’m healed!” Then he ran down the hall as fast as he could and he has continued to run around a lot more since then. He is still falling some and walking weird, so he will start physical therapy to help with possible foot drop issues from treatment. We still don’t fully understand the results shown in the initial hip x ray but we will hopefully get more clarification when we go to clinic next week.

Jackson had to get contrast with his MRI so we asked clinic to access his port to avoid an IV. We advocated to get labs drawn too since he already had the needle stuck in his chest. Liver labs came back angrier than ever. Since there were 5x’s the upper limit we expect to see chemo doses held or adjusted next week. It is frustrating that Jackson’s medical team won’t address the liver issues until his next appointment, even though the lab data shows his liver crying for help but the national protocol is definitely not tailored to the patient.

Thankfully, other than mobility issues and liver concerns Jackson has been happy and playing just like he should. We are so thankful to have made it almost a full month into maintenance. We had high expectations for maintenance because everyone kept telling us life would get so much better. It has in ways, but he is still a 7 year old boy on chemotherapy. Now instead of the poison dripping into his veins weekly at clinic it is given daily at home which comes with different challenges because no child likes taking medicine. We are getting this behind us one day at a time and beyond grateful that Jackson is still here with us! We are so thankful for your continued prayers and the love shown to our family!

07/27/2026

Jackson’s picture will be among thousands of other warrior children on the Curefest tribute wall for childhood cancer in September in Washington DC. Here is the link if others want to sign their child up.

https://www.tributes.curefestusa.org/

We choose to share our story and to take part in things like this to raise awareness of the challenges children with cancer face and the urgent need for better treatments, more research, and stronger support for families!

North America has the highest childhood cancer rates and incident rates rise every single year. Despite advances, cancer is still the leading causes of disease-related death in U.S. children, and many young patients still face very limited treatment options. As a wife to a cancer patient and a mother to a cancer patient I have questions about the war being fought to find a cure again cancer.

The “war on cancer” is the popular term for a large-scale, federally funded effort in the United States to eradicate cancer, officially launched when President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act in December 23, 1971. Modeled metaphorically after the Apollo moon landing, the initial legislation aimed to "conquer" the disease within five years. We have failed this mission ten fold!

The U.S. oncology market size was valued at USD 72.79 billion in 2024 and is predicted to hit around USD 211.78 billion by 2034, rising at a 11.75% CAGR, a study published by Towards Healthcare a sister firm of Precedence Research. One who has loved ones battling cancer might want to question if a billion dollar industry is searching for a cure to put themselves out of business or not. When you look at the research side of finding a cure it raises the same questions: are researchers making these kind of profits actually looking to put themselves out of business. Here are some of the top U.S. Cancer Centers and Research Organizations and what their CEO are paid:

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: President and CEO Selwyn Vickers received $6,979,162 (including a $3,475,000 bonus/incentive).

City of Hope & Affiliates: President and CEO Robert W. Stone received $5,460,799 (including bonuses and deferred compensation).

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute: President and CEO Laurie H. Glimcher received $2,459,825.

American Cancer Society: Past CEO Karen E. Knudsen received $2,134,841 (including a $1,028,608 bonus/incentive).

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: President and CEO James R. Downing received $1,713,883.

Cancer drugs are outdated but still profitable. Most of the chemotherapies on Jackson’s protocol were FDA approved in the 1960’s. Ironically, provider-retained markup revenue on cancer drugs rose from roughly $8.7 billion in 2010 to about $35.7 billion in 2024 (a >300% increase).

I won’t stop researching. I won’t stop advocating for better for my child and all the other sweet children we have met on this journey. I won’t be silent about truth.

If you want to know what true bravery looks like, look at a child who is fighting cancer still viewing the world as a child and battling with a smile on their little face. Amplify their story, ask questions, spread truth, and don’t look away because it is difficult. My own child is facing a battle more intense than anything most adults go through. I am outraged for the children and families battling cancer in our country. It should not have to happen to you for it to matter to you. I wish this wasn’t the case for my family, but it was.

07/20/2026

We haven’t updated in a while because writing an update felt more like complaining than updating. Jackson started the maintenance phase of his treatment about 2 weeks ago which includes oral chemo every day and clinic visits with chemo (in his port and spine) every month. The first week of each month includes a burst of steroids and they take their toll. They wreak havoc on muscles, mood, and bones. Jackson had extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, body aches, along with the emotional challenges of high dose steroids. We still don’t know if the steroids are causing more harm than help at this point. We have an MRI scheduled later this week to get a better look at the condition of his hip bones. Orthopedics are one of those departments that can easily make you an appointment...60-90 days from now. We had to get the oncologist to order the MRI to speed things up because we were not okay waiting until September to started getting answers.

Brian saw a new oncologist in June (his wonderful oncologist that supported his efforts of natural healing left the practice and went to work where she will not be governed by insurance to make her decisions about what is best for the patients) and his number went the wrong direction on his recent labs but we kind of expected that because taking care of himself has been challenging with all that has been going on in our lives recently. The new oncologist suggested pills that would wipe out hormones and cause side effects that would make life miserable. So now he is once again left without a doctor to help him to find out what is best for his healing and not just profitable to the practice seeing him. He did get a letter with notice in the mail for his next appointment booked in September. I guess he asked too many difficult questions because they assigned him to another new doctor. We will see how this one goes.

Despite Jackson’s mobility issues, the last week he seems to be feeling better and trying to be full speed. He is acting more like his silly and sweet self. We have been swimming every chance we get, still trying to finish homeschool so we can start back for the next school year on time, having family movie nights or game nights almost every night, continuing to try to find medical studies that are not funded by the same people profiting from the outcome of the studies, still avoid people until we get Jackson’s ANC more stabilized, and enjoying every moment together the best we can.

Prayer request:

Jackson’s MRI and bone health. Guidance with decisions to make the best choice regarding treatment, his future, and overall health.

07/08/2026

Back to clinic today, and it was not an easy day. We arrived NPO at clinic at 7:45. Labs came back showing his liver still isn’t happy, but his ANC was up to 850. Hemoglobin 10.8 and platelets 151k, so he is within requirement range to start chemo. Then we waited 6 hours with our hangry but sweet boy for the sedation team to come and start doing lumbar punctures. He received chemo in his spine and then vincristine in his port.

We waited the 30 minutes for him to be cleared from the LP procedure and headed to get an X-ray because Jackson (who rarely complains) has complained a few times about hip pain. We requested an MRI of his hips because it is the gold standard for what we were concerned about, but of course insurance has stupid rules that mess up what your doctor can actually order to help you get answers about your health.

One of the concerns on the extremely long lists of risks of Jackson’s chemotherapy is Avascular Necrosis (AVN). It is a serious condition where bone tissue dies due to a temporary or permanent loss of blood supply, most commonly in the hips. This can result in some extreme complications, including hip replacements. Not something you want to think about with your young child! There are a few chemos we could blame this on, but the steroids are the main culprit. The current treatment for blood cancer requires a lot of steroids, making bone damage a serious risk. The steroids took away Jackson’s ability to walk early in treatment and caused issues with supposed muscle weakness and falling every single round he has to take them.

When we finally got home today, I saw the X-ray results pop up. We didn’t get the news we wanted. We were hoping to be just paranoid parents that were overly concerned, but the X-ray showed several complications that need to be looked into further with an MRI. Of course, by the time we got the report, his cancer clinic was closed. I had to call the on-call nurse to make sure we go ahead and start the steroid round tonight, and now we are left hoping it is doing more good than harm. We have our work cut out for us now to research through medical studies in hopes of finding out what options Jackson truly has.

We are also waiting to hear back from orthopedics about getting Jackson seen, because my momma intuition told me to push for further evaluation and not wait. Jackson rarely complains about anything, and when he does, this momma knows to move mountains to get answers because no one is going to go out of their way to hand them to you. Mother’s opinions should be valued as medical data because in most cases no one else knows their child better.

We should just be thrilled we have made it to maintenance chemo. This is a huge milestone after 10 months on intense frontline chemo! But in true cancer fashion, it robs some of the joy of celebrating the milestone and replaces it with more concerns about the future.

When we came home after a rough day, we found a surprise waiting for us from someone that had Jackson on their mind and sent him a goodie. The reminder of the people that are praying and thinking of us encourage us more than we can put into words. The comfort we have knowing don’t walk this alone is indescribable!

As we wait for more information, our prayer requests are:

- For Jackson to do well with the next round of chemo he just started, for it not to harm his body any further, but instead for healing for his liver, bones, and bone marrow.

- For Jackson to be able to feel like a child and not a cancer patient. He just wants to be a happy, healthy 7-year-old who gets to make messes and play with friends.

Unfortunately, we are no longer living the carefree life we were. We are still battling through tough times, waiting for better days, and hating how cancer makes you question everything.

07/02/2026

Thank you Zeena Warrior Kids Foundation. Zeena was a beautiful and inspirational little warrior. Her story has touched our lives. We are grateful for what her family is doing in memory of her. Thank you for your bravery and kindness.

Zeena believed she was a warrior, sent here on a special mission to impact others in a good way.
She believed the same about every child fighting cancer.

Whenever Zeena met another child with cancer, she would say, “Look Mom and Dad there is another warrior kid like me!”
She never saw them as sick. She saw their strength, their courage, and their God-given purpose.

This is why they created the Zeena Warrior book and package, to remind children of who they truly are.
Zeena wanted every child fighting cancer to know they are warriors-warrior children of God.

https://www.zeenawarriorkids.org/?fbclid=IwRlRTSASyAj9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeYR8JlyLYHNzFnzriHYTuMwUbwibOEGef4samzFiCv0jElp23--jEGpdv83g_aem_d_QEPHD2bU5j1KPapYRAtw

07/01/2026

Thank you CJ’s smile for the gift. The vision is to bring smiles and support to children facing cancer, keeping CJ's spirit alive in every gesture of goodwill. Jackson is definitely a good example of a child smiling even durning hard days. A simple smile is inspirational and encouraging to others.

07/01/2026

Cancer is a family affair. When someone in a family is diagnosed with cancer everyone suffers. Children in the home tend to take a back seat to the needs of the sick family member. Little Hearts of Hope provides support through prayer for any and all members of the family and walks alongside them through this very difficult journey. They also support the children by sending monthly packages, the theme of the package is a different emotion that is very common for children going through a traumatic experience such as this. This month’s package was about anger, it came with tools to help explain anger and healthy ways to cope. Ephesians 4:26-28 "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil." Thank you Little Hearts of Hope for what you do to encourage our family and keep our minds on Jesus.

Jackson's Journey

08/05/2026

08/05/2026

07/30/2026

07/27/2026

07/20/2026

07/08/2026

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