Words from Jalen’s Mum:
Jalen was at the age of 3 when he first was diagnosed with cancer. After a fall incident at daycare he was immediately sent to hospital for 2 weeks of testing after the initial x-ray of a sore arm showed that the bone was abnormal. He was then diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. A type of bone cancer which is extremely rare in children under the age of 5. He was to start chemotherapy immediately. He has been having chemotherapy since July last year. He also has to have surgery which requires the surgeons to remove his humerus bone and replace it with his fibula bone from his leg. After surgery he will have more chemotherapy as well as months worth of rehab to strengthen his arm.
During the 7 months of chemo he has already received, Dad had to take many days off work to support Jalen, pregnant mum and our other toddler. Leila Rose Foundation has helped us financially through the hardest time of our lives. We are forever grateful for the assistance they provided as they took away extra stress we just didn’t need or want. LRF took care of our bills so we could have all our focus on our boy.
Jalen is now 4 and will be starting BIG school next year. We hope by then after months of chemotherapy, transfusions, midnight trips to emergency, countless scans, surgery and rehab that he’ll be able to attend school strong and healthy.
