"Several weeks ago my son started to complain of back pain. He is one of two fellas in my care whom I love deeply, and not the first one I would expect to complain of lower back pain. Not at 8 years old.

I took him to the pediatrician, where he was assessed and a multiview X-ray was ordered. It was normal. I agreed to keep a log of his back pain complaints. A couple of days later, I received a video call from my son at his dad’s house and he was crying. I couldn’t see him. He had used Siri to call me because he couldn’t walk to the phone. I hung up, picked him up and took him to our beloved pediatrician who agreed his X-ray looked normal, let’s give him some time.

A couple of days later he was crying in bed. His back hurt. I called Nemours Orthopedics. A PA saw him, looked at his X-ray, saw it was normal but wasn’t thrilled about his reluctance to bend over or rise from cross cross applesauce and asked us to get a CBC before we moved to MRI.

The CBC results were abnormal, she said, but not too concerning. But she seemed concerned and insisted we repeat the labs. And in my heart, I already knew. I cried that night. Hard. Like ugly cry. Like Michael Jordan. I agreed to repeat his labs in one week’s time. 

Every single expert that I showed his bloodwork to felt it was nothing out of the ordinary. Even the famous hematologists on Twitter. 

I felt like I was going crazy but my mother’s heart would not listen. Four days later my son winced in pain as he sat down at the dinner table and I decided it was enough. I didn’t make it a week. I went to the ER and asked them to do it all. He was pan cultured, urinalysis, labs, chemistries, ultrasounds. Every last thing was normal except slight anemia and a low WBC.

We were transferred that night via ambulance to the hematology/oncology floor at Wolfson’s for more testing. After a normal MRI, and a negative peripheral blood smear for leukemia cells, even the hematologists were confused.Loxley was then scheduled for his first procedure under anesthesia: a bone marrow aspiration.

Two days later, the results were in: Loxley had B-cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.

The days following that diagnosis was a mad rush of lumbar puncture, port insertion, IV infusions, and chemotherapy. I vehemently asked my family and coworkers to keep it under wraps because it was so overwhelming (please forgive them for their silence). I only recently gave them the green light to release their burden, 1) because I love them dearly and it was too much to ask and 2)because after 7 days in the hospital and by the Grace of GOD we are home.

Loxley has a very long road ahead of him, but there is light at the end of the tunnel and though it is needlepoint from this view, it is like an oasis in the desert and if it kills me I will get him there. As far as Loxley...he is so impressive. He’s doing great. It won’t be comfortable, it will be so inconvenient, but this is highly treatable. He gets to be home fighting for his life and I will be right here with him until we pop out on the other side and reach back to help others going through the same thing."

- Loxley's mom, Brandy