This time of year for us is an amazing time of year.  This is the time we get to meet amazing families.  Families who find that they are facing medical obstacles.  Families whose children are sick.  These families are the strongest you will ever meet and the kids are the sweetest.  We are gearing up for the Children's Miracle Network Celebration Radiothon on Thursday and Friday, May 8th and 9th.  As we gear up we want to introduce you to some amazing families.  Today I just wanted to share with you the amazing story of Caleb Loomis.

Caleb's Story - By Lezlie Loomis

Loomis Family
Loomis Family
loading...

Looking back I can see God was there before time played out, and I can see Him now, holding us in the present.  My sister had called to ask what we were doing for the weekend.  She had a few days off and her family was thinking of visiting us.  This left the house busy and full of joy as we were all watching and waiting for our company to arrive.

“Are they here yet?” the kids would ask.

“Almost, anytime now,” I replied.

“Mommy, my tummy hurts,” said Caleb.  I checked his head and he did feel a little warm.  “Let’s check your temperature, buddy.  You do have a slight fever.  Maybe you should lay down awhile.”

As we took care of Caleb our company arrived, and the night continued with visiting and helping Caleb.  It seemed like the common flu, and we hoped nobody else would get it.

Later that night, Caleb couldn’t sleep with his stomach pains increasing, and a warm bath would sooth him for only a short time.  Around 4 in the morning George suggested maybe we should check to see if it was his appendix.  His blood work came back good, and the CT scan result showed no appendicitis; however, it did detect spots on both kidneys.  We were told his abdominal pain was most likely a virus, and we should do further testing on his kidneys come Monday.

In the days to follow, they diagnosed Caleb with Nephroblastomatosis, which are lesions on the kidneys that can lead to Wilms tumor.  Everyone was speechless; this was not what we expected.

Caleb’s stomach pains slowly decreased, but he slept all the time.  He would say, “Mommy, I so tired,” and lay down on his own.  We continued testing on his kidneys and planned to wait a few months before comparing a second MRI for growth.

Eventually, Caleb’s low fever disappeared, and his energy began to increase.  We felt we were on the road to recovery from his virus.  By the end of the week, everyone was anxious to get out of the house and continue our normal activities.  We went to church Sunday and enjoyed fellowship with friends that evening.  No sooner than we arrived home, Caleb’s stomach pains came back strong, and his fever returned at a higher temperature with an added complaint of knee pain.

The doctor was concerned and requested more blood work.  We were sent home to watch over Caleb and wait for the results.  His blood results came back low and the doctor wanted to see him in the morning.  He warned us if his fever went over 101.5 they would need to hospitalize him.

Nothing would break his fever that night, and we peaked at 103.1.  His stomach pains and fever had kept us awake for two days now, and we were exhausted.  Caleb was hospitalized the next morning and the doctor started to prep us for possible leukemia, but most likely a mega virus.

Loomis Family
Loomis Family
loading...

Caleb’s blood dropped drastically our third day in the hospital, and he was rushed in for a bone marrow biopsy.  Church friends and family quickly arrived at the hospital when they heard the news.  We all gathered together and prayed over Caleb.

Since the beginning, George would not leave Caleb’s side, and he was spending night and day in the hospital with him.  I would go back and forth taking care of Nate, our 1 year old, and helping Caleb in the hospital.  George had called early that morning with an urgency to get Caleb to eat something before they placed feeding tubes in him.  Tristin, our oldest son, and I headed to the store to gather anything Caleb might eat.  We got as far as the parking lot and my phone rang.  It was George; the bone marrow results had came back with 70% leukemia cells.  We were devastated our little boy had cancer; however, we knew the Lord would be our light, and lead us through this difficult situation.

Loomis Family
Loomis Family
loading...

 

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.  Psalm 112:7

It wasn’t long before they rushed Caleb into surgery to place a portacath in his chest for treatments.  His spinal fluid was tested for leukemia cells, and he received his first dose of Chemo through his spine.  It was a rough day for all of us.  We finished the day praising the Lord for our Caleb, family, friends, church, doctors, nurses, support staff, and for all those praying for us both known and unknown.

Loomis Family
Loomis Family
loading...

Caleb finished his first phase of treatment with great success!  The induction phase is 35 days long, and its purpose is to kill the leukemia cells in the blood and bone marrow.  He has gone from 70% leukemia cells to less that 3%, which puts his leukemia into remission.  In addition, the lesions on his kidneys have melted away, and today he has clean, clear kidneys.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.  Psalm 107:1

Even with remission, continued therapy is needed to prevent relapse.  The second phase of therapy is approximately 7 months long, and today Caleb has finished the first 5 months of this phase.  His final stage of treatment, the maintenance phase, will end a 3 year journey.

Loomis Family
Loomis Family
loading...

Thankfully, there are local supporters like you living among us.  Without your support through Children's Miracle Network, paying for Caleb's medical bills would take 5 times as long as his treatment plan.  Thank you for helping Caleb and our family.  We are ever so grateful!

*please mark Radiothon/Celebration in the Donor Designation
Loomis Family
Loomis Family
loading...

loading...

The Children's Miracle Network Celebration Radiothon
Thursday, May 8th 5:30am - 7pm
Friday, May 9th 5:30am - 7pm

Location: BSA Auditorium, 2nd Floor

More From Mix 94.1