Monday – The Survivor

[ninanevermore]

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Four-year-old humans are pieces of work, as well as being works in progress. My son might have his moments, but I can usually put him in his place. On the other hand, life has enabled my stepsister's little boy, Reese, to throw his parents a curveball when he wants to.

Shortly after his second birthday, Reese was diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer called Wilm's Tumor that only happens in children under the age of 5. He endured a surgery to remove his kidney followed by 6 months of chemotherapy, and these days he is healthy and thriving. If you ask him, he will willingly raise up shirt and show you the scar across his midriff where they took out the diseased kidney and another scar on his chest where they inserted a port to administer the chemo. With his shirt on, though, he looks like any other skinny little kid.

He knows something rotten happened to him. His brothers and sisters don't have to have blood work done twice a year to make sure they are cancer free and that their kidney function is normal. He's well aware that he has more hassles to put up with than they do, and that can give a guy an additude.

This last week his father was correcting him for some minor infraction when Reese interrupted him.

He sighed, put his hands on his hips, cocked his head and said, "Oh, take it easy, will you Dad? I'm a cancer survivor!"

What's a toy or two left on the living room floor when you consider the big picture? Preschoolers have a way of putting things into perspective for you.


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Comments

[drippedonpaper.livejournal.com]

LOL.

Wow. I mean, I can see where disciplining a kid after that could be hard. I wonder how long he can "milk" that one.

Funny story, thanks for sharing:)

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

I probably would have hugged him, and then made him do what he was supposed to do in the first place. You definitely have to hug them when they say something like that. :)

[ignusfaatus.livejournal.com]

lol!
I hope he uses that line his whole life.
Lotsa people need a reminder!

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

It's kind of humbling in a "and what's the most impressive thing you've ever done?" sort of way, isn't it? :)

[simplecity2htwn.livejournal.com]

One of life's most useful abilities is knowing how to manipulqte a situation to your own advantage. Give him credit for figuring that one out while he's still in single digits!

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

Some people are born with that ability, I think. :)

[mybeautifulwars]

That is awesome. :-p

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

"Take it easy" is always good advice we all can use, I think. :)

[basketcaselady.livejournal.com]

That is just too adorable!

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

He's a very tough, no-nonsense kind of little guy, though very agreeable. And he's right; grownups need to take it easy. There are a lot of lousy things that can happen, but anything that's not exactly life threatening isn't worth getting worked up about. :)

[basketcaselady.livejournal.com]

Well he definitely hit the nail right on the head.

[jenelycam.livejournal.com]

Awww.... What a cutie!! It's so good to know that he IS a survivor!!

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

The cancer hadn't spread beyond the kidney when they found it, so the odds were in his favor for a good outcome. Now he just has to be monitored. He's a tough, strong minded little man - I think that came in handy for him.