Meet Jeremiah – Sarcoma Warrior
"The help of the NCCS, along with friends, family, nurses and doctors, have made this traumatic event more manageable,” said Jeremiah's mom.
Two year-old Jeremiah never showed any signs of discomfort. He was playful, full of energy, and loved to laugh. But when Jeremiah’s father noticed a hard spot on his son’s abdomen, he took him to the pediatrician who merely thought this little boy was constipated. However, Jeremiah’s parents had a gut feeling that it was something far more serious, so they took their son to the emergency room. When the doctors felt Jeremiah’s abdomen, they agreed it was more than constipation. They ran a battery of tests which showed a large tumor and many smaller tumors consuming his right kidney. That day, Jeremiah’s life forever changed as he was diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma of the kidney.
Jeremiah needed to start treatment immediately in order to save his life. His treatment plan required him to be seen multiple times every week for three months at a hospital an hour away from his home – an overwhelming feat for his mother, Taryn, since she dramatically reduced her time at work to care for him. Taryn poured all of her money into her son’s treatment and travel expenses and became worried when the financial strain only grew. Taryn reached out to the NCCS for travel assistance and the organization provided her with the support she so desperately needed to ensure her son never missed an appointment.
Since Jeremiah’s tumor covered almost all of his kidney, he needed numerous rounds of chemotherapy to shrink it enough for doctors to safely remove it. Thankfully, three months later, the tumor shrank considerably and doctors were able to do surgery. Even though the surgery went well, Jeremiah still needed additional rounds of chemotherapy and radiation to ensure his tumors were completely gone. “The help of the NCCS, along with friends, family, nurses and doctors, have made this traumatic event more manageable,” said Taryn. “Jeremiah is a fighter and has shown us he’s unstoppable!”