July 27, 2017
Thank you again for the opportunity to share Sawyers story, and to be a part of the wonderful event you are having.
When Sawyer was four, we went on a vacation to Myrtle Beach with my father in early July. The last day we were there, we went swimming in the ocean. Sawyer was having a blast, and then a big wave came and he went under for a sec and swallowed some water. He gagged a bit and threw up from it, and we thought that was it. A few days later, he got sick again. After that, he got sick several times during the day, especially after he woke up from a nap. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. I thought maybe he got a parasite from the ocean. 3 weeks passed, and he lost 7 lbs, was extremely lethargic, wouldn’t sleep, and had neck pain.
We went to the pediatrician 5 times and the ER 3 times before we found out that he had a brain tumor. At that point, my whole world collapsed. I was totally lost. It was very difficult to step up to the plate and accept our new normal. Since he was diagnosed, he has had four surgeries, two rounds of radiation, immunotherapy treatment, and hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
This Thursday, we will be travelling to St. Judes for a possible third round of radiation, then go to Augusta Georgia for a chemotherapy trial. Sawyer has been dealing with this disease for half of his life, and the only thing I wish is for this horrible disease to disappear from existence. Sawyer is the sweetest and gentlest boy I’ve ever knew. He has taught me so much in his short life, and has brought joy to everyone that knows him. I ask myself every day how such a sweet boy could get cancer, but it could happen to any child. This is why we as a human race need to work together and find a cure, so no child or their family will ever experience the pain and fear that we and so many other families have had to endure.
Thank you so much again for taking the time to do what you for all of these children.
Regards,
Jeb Powell