Dear Andy,
First, I'd like to say thankyou for allowingus this blessingand for takingthe time to read our letter. Our son's name is Mason, and he is 14 years old. He is a very active baseball player and he enjoys playing video games with his friends. He also enjoysrunning around outsidewith his sisters.As a sports lover, he will often be found watching a game on TV, especially if it is the Atlanta Braves or the Alabama Crimson Tide. Mason also enjoys building Legosand going to the movies.He is definitely the strong,silent type, but when he warms up to you he will keep you on your toes with his quick wit and typical teenage sarcastic humor.
We first noticed something was going on with Mason near the end of January of this year, when he began complaining of back pain. Given that he is an active teenager and an avid baseball player, we initially thought it could be just a pulled muscle. By mid-February, it was beginning to bother him every day and affect his performance on the baseball field. We brought him to a local urgent care facility in Brunswick, where he received an X-ray and was diagnosed with scoliosis. We were instructed to keep him active and that we needed to followup with a chiropractor and/orphysical therapy. By the end of March,after receiving care from a local physical therapist and a chiropractor, he was still not getting much relief from his pain.
After a very busy weekendwith friends, he was in so much pain that he could barely walk. I rushed him to Children's Memorial Hospital in Savannah.It was there that they discovered that he had compression fractures in four of his lumbar vertebrae. He was given a back brace and it was prescribed that he should wear it whenever he is not lying flat in bed. We were instructed to follow up in two weeks. During that time, the pain kept getting worse and had spread to his joints and limbs. At our follow-up appointment, we were told that the compression fractures were stable and that he did not need to wear the back brace anymore. Although this was good news at the time, our son was still dealing with constant pain, and I felt like something else was wrong. At the end of April, we made another trip to Children's Memorial, where we ordered certain blood work to be done. On April 30th, we were devastated to hear that our boy had B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Treatment and chemotherapy started immediately. The day after his diagnosis he was rushed into surgery where they placeda chemo port in his chest. They also performed a bone marrowaspiration and a lumbarpuncture, in which they administered a dose of chemo directlyinto his spinal fluid. He was placed in another back brace as there were now several new compression fractures.
As I write this letter, he has just passed the 6-month mark in his treatment. Treatment has included more than 120 overnight hospital stays, roughly 30 rounds of chemo, two PICU stays due to blood clots in his leg, another surgery where they installed a stent in his artery to alleviate the blood clots, physical therapy, several blood transfusions, and many other challenges. Being a 14-year-old boy is hard enough, but the extra stress of battling cancer has been something totally different. Through it all, Mason has worked so hard at not only regaining his strength that was lost due to the fractures in his back, but staying positive and facing every obstacle that comes his way with a good attitude. Complaining is not in his vocabulary, and he trulyis the most amazing boy I know.
We are not local to Savannah; we live in Brunswick and drive 80 miles one way for treatment. He also has two sisters, including one who is on her own journey of healing after receiving second and third-degree burns on 20% of her body last fall. There have been several times when I have been in Savannah with Mason, and his dad is in Augustawith her. We are a single-income household, and the financial burden has been quite a challenge. Gas, groceries, and restaurant cards would be extremely helpful at this time. We frequent places like Sam’s, Walmart,Target, Publix, Chick-fil-A, Zaxby’s, Chili’s, and Texas Roadhouse. While having our family together and happy is truly the biggest Christmas blessing, there are a few things we would enjoy. A self-care day for me, including a massage, mani/pedi, and some shopping. His dad likes Amazon, Dick’s Sporting
Goods, Home Depot, and would love a set of customseat covers for his truck.We also homeschool our three children, and paid memberships for their curriculum (Time4Learning) would be so helpful.
Mason's older sister Carlee (15) is an avid reader.She loves musicals,junk journaling, and shopping. Her favorite stores are Hobby Lobby, Books-A-Million, and Target. His younger sister Katie (7) is hoping for her very own Nintendo Switch, an electric drum pad, and an outdoor playset. Mason would love PlayStation, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Amazon gift cards. His biggest wish is an e-bike. All three kids are dreaming of a Lego store shopping spree. Family time together is also something that is at the top of our list. We love to attend various sporting events together, have family game/movie nights, and fun weekend getaways. We are extremely grateful for anything that we may receive, and knowing that our kids will have a truly great Christmas after such a rough year is enough for me. I want to say thank you again for choosing us and blessing us this Christmas. Also, thank you to your listeners and to the Kolbush Foundation. We are forever grateful.
With love and gratitude, The Welch family
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