Hager City child featured on KS95 Kids Radiothon
Jacob Carlson will be one of 12 children spotlighted during the 13th annual KS95 for Kids Radiothon.
Jacob Carlson will be one of 12 children spotlighted during the 13th annual KS95 for Kids Radiothon. The event, which will broadcast live December 9-10 from Mall of America, benefits Children’s Cancer Research Fund and Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare.
Jacob was born with Down syndrome. Individuals with Down syndrome are up to 20 times more likely to develop leukemia than the general population, according to Dr. Julie Ross, University of Minnesota researcher and Children’s Cancer Research Fund co-chief medical advisor. Jacob was four when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
Jacob’s journey with ALL began In February, 2008. Once the diagnosis was made, the family was immediately admitted to University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis for treatment. That was March 24, 2008.
Jacob’s treatment first consisted of intense chemotherapy, which put him in remission just one month after his diagnosis. This was followed by five months of chemotherapy in varying levels of intensity before he began his maintenance phase. During the two-and-half years of maintenance, Jacob received daily oral chemotherapy, monthly IV chemotherapy and quarterly lumbar chemotherapy.
Jacob finished treatment in June, 2011, after which he will need only monthly check-ups to watch for cancer markers. He loves going to school and was thrilled to be recognized as the student of the month last fall!
As Julie reflects on the journey that Jacob and their family has been through, she says, “When Jacob entered our world seven years ago, we learned so much about Jacob - how his mind worked. However, when the cancer entered into the scene we learned so much more - how the body worked.”
More from around the web
RSS Feeds