IAMA 15 year old cancer survivor. AMA

Wow, glad to hear you made it. What was something that gave you hope/inspiration while you were in the hospital?

Well, I'm a pretty avid scuba diver. So the main thing I really wanted to do was to go diving on the great barrier reef in Australia. In fact I'm going this December or sometime around then.

Scuba diving: more inspirational than God or Oprah

I can confirm.

TIL that I need to see what all of the fuss about scuba diving is.

Its pretty amazing. it feels like a completely different world, and in a way, it is.

I too also suffered from ALL leukemia. I was Diagnosed in October2000 (age6) and off treatment in march 2003. I went to chrildrens hospital on Boston and I got a port and a feeding tube later on. Went through kemo, several doses of radiation, spinal taps and bone marrow transplants. The medicine I think was the worst part especially the effects of the predisone. I refused to take a certain medicine (forget what it was but its a liquid brown and tasted really thick) and ended up in a coma for 7days and almost didn't make it. I had to learn how to walk and use my arms again. I went for my yearly checkup yesterday at the jimmy fund in Boston and I'm now officially 10 years off of treatment. Congrats to you!

I really feel for you. Compared to yours mine doesn't seem as bad. And yeah the effects of really screw me up. I get really emotional. I never had radiation or transplants but I did have blood transfusions and spinal taps. And congratulations to you to! It's great to see all these survival stories coming out!

What is your advice for the aspiring cancer patient?

Aspiring cancer patient? Work on your goals, maybes.

Cancer is inevitable.

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If you meant future cancer patients, my advice would be keep fighting. I there's something you love to do aspire to do it in the biggest and best way possible. You will find strength you didn't know you had. And the one thing I didn't do but I wish I had was to stay in contact with my friends. I was only able to talk with a few of my really close ones.

I'm 15 too. This thread me realize how lucky I am and how different my life could be right now. Good luck in your road to full recovery, bro.

Thank you. Its really nice to hear support from people you have never met.

You're very strong! I donated to Locks for Love a couple years ago. Did you lose your hair and, if so, did you wear a wig? How accessible are good wigs?

I did lose my hair. but I didn't wear a wig. I would just wear a toque mainly, but it wasn't as bad, because I'm a guy but I'm not sure about getting wigs.

Have you read The Fault in our Stars?

No I haven't. Is it a good book?

Hello dude. I know how it feels, I had a cancer too at age of 20. It's been 3 years now that I made it, but it'll follow me all my life. It was Hodkgin in my case, so even if it's rather well cured, it's still 1 year of my life wasted. I will live in fear every day of the rest of this life, scared that it comes back. Stay strong mates.

This is almost exactly how I feel. Sometimes I worry, "what if it comes back" and it mainly affected my social life, a lot of people didn't know what happened to me and just assumed I went to London. Many found out I had cancer over facebook

How has this affected your school life? Do you have a normal school life now?

well it mainly affected my grade 8 year. I was in grade 8 for the last few months of the year and managed to graduate to grade 9 because of a special program the school offered for seriously ill kids. And yes, I'm in grade 10 and getting good grades like i would have before.

Nobody your age should go through that thats goo to hear your doing awesome.i believe there's a cure but the $$$ is more important than a human life I guess

I know. No one in the world should have to experience it, but its made me how i am today. and i'm not sure about the cure thing, there could be but could be, you never know with some people these days

Is chemo really that bad? I've heard horror stories of how painful it is and that some people would rather let cancer take its course than go through treatment...

It's bad but I realized it work help me no matter how bad it was. And honestly I would rather try and fight then lie there and slowly waste away.

can you describe any specific symptoms you experienced? i read vomiting somewhere in your comments. what else is there?

Vomiting defiantly vomiting. As well I got tired fast from doing any activity. I also ended up with a really chubby face from the seteriods they put you on and got really pale.

What did you use to get you through the tough times? What was something you looked at constantly... a symbol, an idea, the notion of getting better?

I answered that below, but I am an really avid scuba diver and I really wanted to go to Australia to go diving. And I am this year

I don't have a question, I just wanted to say congratulations for being a survivor!

Thank you!

So, how long have you been cancer free?

Well at the start of treatment you are really bombarded by medication. So really I was cancer free within two weeks of diagnosis. But they keep you on treatment to make sure it doesn't come back. And it hasn't.

So it's one of those cancers that never quite goes into full remission. Just sort of lays dormant, like the one my Aunt has had since the late 1980s?

No it goes into full remission. But at first they really bombarded you with medication because your cells are still vulnerable.

Geez, I can't believe you've gone through that much and you're just as old as I am.

I know it makes me feel older than i am, but i really feel for the young kids who were going through similar things. many were under 5

How are London hospitals?

sorry, bit of a miss information there, I was back home in the hospital in Vancouver Canada

Wanted to say congrats on beating cancer. You and other survivors are fucking champions. Nothing but respect for people like you.

Just wanted to ask you what was the stress like on your parents and family members during your treatment? Did it cause any strained relationships or anything like that? I apologize if this is too personal or anything.

Its alright. its an AMA. I think it did cause a lot of stress. we thought we were moving to London in a month when i got diagnosed. and, boom just like that all the plans changed. as well it was stressful for my dad and step mom as it would be for anyone to have someone who totally relied on you or so long.

Glad you made it bro. What was treatment like? Did you get sick after receiving treatments?

are there dicks in gay porn? yeah i did. it was pretty nasty at times. many times i would be throwing up so much after chemo I had nothing left and couldn't eat or drink anything. I just couldn't hold things down. As well the treatment differs to all different people, some people react to the drugs more than others. and i defiantly reacted. Now to me treatment is like a blur. One of the weirdest part to me is letting people inject you with stuff that is going to hurt you in the short run but help in the long run.

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No they didn't. But they did prescribe a pill that did a similar thing. Made you a bit loopy and such. I can't remember the name. but there was another drug called ondasnitron (incorrect spelling) that was another anti nausea drug.

Phenergan (promethazine) is one of the most commonly prescribe anti-nausea drugs.

just found the old bottle. it was called nabilone. its a synthetic cannabinoid

Youre probably thinking of ondansetron. I take it for my nausea (caused by severe fatigue) but it doesnt always help. When my fatigue is really bad and the nausea means I cant face food, I have prescription meal replacement milkshakes. So if anyone reading is struggling with nausea, that is one option.

Yeah thats what it was, they gave it to me for the drugs that could, at times, affect your stomach. but the nabilone worked much better

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Thank you!

As a current cancer fighter, this is really cool to read about! I am also from Vancouver :) Were you treated at BCCH, or in London? I know what you mean about always associating cancer with death. I was diagnosed with a large medulloblastoma when i was 13. It's a tumor of the brainstem, so I wasn't given a very good prognosis, but with chemo, radiation, and surgery, i've managed to make it to 14! I am really hoping to someday be told I am in remission. I am glad you have been able to go back to school, I really miss school. How did your siblings react? My little sister didn't like it when I lost my hair, and she doesn't like visiting me in the hospital, because she's kind of afraid of doctors in general.

yeah i was treated at BCCH, and i hope with all my heart that you beat this and get to go back to school. Im not sure how my siblings reacted because when they were told i was in the hospital for 2 weeks, right after i was diagnosed. My sister was scared because she had the same experinces with cancer as i did, and the thing that freaked her out the most about the hospital was needles, she has a fear of them so I guess it was scary for her to see me with one in my chest and if you dont mind me asking, were you treated at BCCH? and if so who is your doctor?

Thank you :) Wow, small world! Yes i am being treated at BCCH, i have a couple of doctors, my surgeon is Dr. Singal (i think that's how you spell it?) And i have two oncologists, Dr. Pritchard and Dr. Wu. Those are my main doctors anyways, theres others like pain specialists and physiotherapists. Once in a while they send me a psychologist to make sure i'm not losing my mind :p Yeah my little sister freaks out because she hates needles too. She associates needles with doctors, so hospitals are pretty miserable for her. She's better with it now, she'll come and sit with me and play games, at first she wouldn't even come, she would stay with my grandparents when my parents were with me. Who were your doctors, if you don't mind me asking! :p

I had Dr. Pritchard too! and they used to sent me to a psychologist too. her name was joanna something. I don't know if you know Kristina? shes the lady who hands out games and movies and whatever.

Wow, this is crazy!!! I love Kristina! I think they call her a life specialist or something, but she's great. She always gets me the right books, and she brought me a mini keyboard so I could play the piano still, but i'm really bad at it now, because my fingers go numb a lot. My psychologist is Jocelyn. She always makes me draw pictures of houses and trees and crap. I'm not really sure what it's telling her, but apparently something important.

Yeah shes a really great person and has been great to me and my family throughout my treatment. and yeah i know how you feel with the pictures and things. sometimes i felt like drawing something really weird and seeing what happened.

One time I told her the tree was rotten because it had cancer. You should have seen her face, it was hilarious. She came every day that week, I think i crossed a line. They probably thought i was finally crazy.

I know, sometimes i was just like "geez, im fine. im a bit sad that i cant go to school and hang out with my friends, but i've told you that fifty times. I have nothing to talk about and we're both wasting our time.

That's honestly the lamest part about this (other than all the medical crap). I NEVER get to see my friends anymore! One time, when I was in between treatments and doing ok, I went to visit my school, but it was really weird. Most of my friends were ok, just let me sit with them and hang out, but the teachers acted really weird, and one of them cried, which was REALLY WEIRD, because i had only had her for like a month before I had to leave!

for me it was weird too, many of my friends thought i had moved to London and only found out i had had cancer when i came to school. so it was pretty awkward for the first few weeks

Where do you go to school? Maybe we go to the same school!

I go to Collingwood but when i first got back i went to rockridge

How long was your treatment?

What drugs were given to you?

How omnipresent was the cancer, as in, how often were you reminded, thinking about it, and/or felt it?

Where did you receive your treatment and was it done well?

You mentioned trauma. How traumatic was the experience? What made it that way?

Thank you for doing the AMA and good luck with your education and future.

Thank you my treatment is still ongoing but is only once a month. it finally ends in november this year It's hard to remember all the drugs i was given, some examples would be methotreaxate, vincristine, i think one called cyclophosphamine, predisone. i may not be spelling those right but those are main ones. I was reminded of the cancer almost everytime i looked in a mirror with my bald head. and pretty much whenever i felt sick The trauma in the experince was mainly from being so sick for so long. months of a year spent throwing up and being injected with basically poison.

Why did that one kid not shave his hair properly?

Some of them were kind of hesitant to go full bald. I mean who wouldnt be?

What kind of treatment did you go through?

It was pretty standard chemotherapy. it was mainly pills and daily injections

I've always wondered what exactly does it feel like to be injected with poison - could you try to explain it? Also, you're awesome

It feels really weird. I don't think there's anything I could compare it to. Sometimes you can almost taste it in your mouth because I have a vascular accessing device in my chest that runs to a vein in my neck. And some chemo is worst than other sand you feel the effects right alway and others it takes longer almost a day.

When going through cancer treatment, some peoples' taste buds die off and they take a while to recover. During this period, most people find some type of food that they can actually taste and wind up eating that ever-living daylights out of it. Did you ever experience a change in the way you tasted food? And if so, did you ever find something you could enjoy eating nore than anything else?

This defiantly happened to me. At one point all I really liked were really sour foods. Lemon candy, lemon slushy things. I ate other food but it all tasted really bland. Another thing that happened to do with food was that I watched the Food Channel. All the time. I was dreaming about eating normal food. Not crackers and cheese or small sandwiches.

As a 24 year old 2 time ALL survivor, congrats to you. Leukemia sucks, especially when you're young. From what it sounds like, we were on similar regiments. How are you handling everything? Have you developed any long term side affects?

I'm handling everything pretty well, back at school, playing hockey again. So in that way I'm good. In the terms of lasting side effects the only one has been some nerves effected by the vincristine. But that will go away in a year or so. And it's effected my hair development, in places...

Yea, I developed peripheral neuropathy in my feet because of the vincristine. Hasn't gone away, probably never will. Since leukemia, I've started playing hockey, which doesn't bother my feet. Something I advise any survivor is to talk to a therapist to help deal with those blurred memories before they bubble up at the wrong time and to go to a patient/survivor camp to show that you're not alone in this fight. Personally, I did One Step at a Time, which helped me not feel like the only person in the world to deal with this.

Yeah. I've played hockey all my life and the boot shape of the skate offers a lot of support. and i did talk to the therapist at the hospital who specializes in oncology cases. in the way of camps the children's hospital here offers these teen adventure things, I've gone on a couple, like surfing and river rafting.

You rock! I have so much respect for your strength and courage

Thank you! but I'm not the only one there are tons lke me and and even more who have had it far worse.

When I was a child, my mother lost a dear cousin of hers to leukemia. Growing up, I definitely saw the effects of his death on that side of my family, some still evident today. I always wondered how different my family would be if he had received proper treatment and survived. My question is: as someone who has beat cancer, do you feel like there are consistent and noticeable ways that people act differently around you, or treat you differently now than from before? This can pertain to anyone from family members, to schoolmates (who can be known for being especially brutal/insensitive), to even just kids you may have grown up with?

Sort of. you notice the reception of you a lot more when youre bald or have a little bit of hair. I remember one time when i had just got back to school we were playing manhunt in gym and one of the kids who didnt know who i was said "come and get me baldie". that was probably the worst one. Actually most kids seem to think its pretty bad ass. and one of my teachers had Hodkgins and he can relate to me so thats pretty cool

I could see how that would be annoying, I feel for you man. Those kids that think you're a badass have the right idea. Congratulations on your strength and may your life only get better from here kid!

Thank you!

Congrats on winning your battle!

Thanks!

aw we had the same type of leukemia

Yeah its a pretty common one. thats why the cure rates are high

My Dad had bone marow cancer a few years ago and often thought that he was on too many medications and treatments for his own good. Did you ever feel that way? Im not sure how similair your treatment was to my fathers.

Yeah I did. But mainly because they made me feel so sick. But all of them did something and now I'm cancer free

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The only advice i can give you is to stay strong. Treatment is different for everyone. There are two coping ways i used to get through it. One was because i am an avid scuba diver my dad decided that after i finished he would take me to Australia to go diving there, so i would look forward to that, when it was tough i would think ahead to that, doing something i loved. So pick something you want to do after treatment and look forward to that. I would also take it one day at a time. not looking forward like "crap i have to do this all week" just "okay, 5 hours till im done." As well keep in touch with your friends and family, at the start of my treatment my friends and family did this for me, http://i.imgur.com/NNWSs.png it helps when they do stuff like that. you feel like you are not going through it alone. I would also suggest either you or your parents start a blog about everything, my dad did and it helped my family and friends in touch with me.

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And i hope everything turns out great for you as well! all the best

How does it feel to be getting all this sweet, sweet karma?

It feels good. But that's not what I was after in this post. I just wanted to tell my story

You write terribly, spend less time in the hospital and more in your english class or you really do have no reason to live

I'm sorry my English writing skills aren't great. But that's not really my fault. I've always had trouble writing. And because I can't write well I should die? I've been through hell and back. I'm not going to kill myself over something so trivial.

Words are the only thing that separate us from animals.

So yes, of course you deserve hell for writing so poorly.

Go back to class and get off reddit

Actually it's not. It's our compassion. Our good nature. Our quest to be the best, and to keep achieving to be the best. I have never heard that you should go to hell for writing badly. What are you? Like the Westboro baptist church of grammar nazis?

No one gives a fuck.

It seems people do.

I have a question: Do you think I give a shit?

No. I don't. But apparently other people give a shit.

I don't give a shit about that either.

Okay then. I don't give a shit about people like you either.

NOTE: You have just insulted a gentleman. This card is chemically treated. In three days your cunt will rust shut.

I am sorry to inform you, but as a male, I do not have a vagina.