Most people can’t pinpoint the exact moment their lives change forever. For me, that moment is carved into my memory with painful clarity… November 3rd, 2021, at 9:13 pm. It was the night everything we knew, every hope, every assumption about the future, shifted. The night we learned our son, Keigen, was facing leukemia.

These past three years have been filled with moments that tested us far beyond what I thought was possible. The initial shock, the seemingly endless cycles of chemo, and the rollercoaster of highs and lows have all been part of this journey. This date, November 3rd, has come to mean so many things… pain, strength, resilience, and an unbreakable bond that our family has formed.

A Mother’s Intuition and the Unseen Battles

Looking back, I remember how my instincts kept tugging at me in the months leading up to that night. Keigen wasn’t himself. His once boundless energy was drained, he’d skip out on things he once loved, and sports… which he’d thrived in for years… became a struggle. I took him to the ER… I knew, deep down, this wasn’t just teenage fatigue like the ER doc said, but like any parent, I doubted myself. I was told he was just tired, that his blood work would be “unremarkable.” I wanted to believe that so badly, so I told the ER doc okay, and didn’t insist on the blood work… my biggest regret… 

But as any mother knows, intuition is powerful. I knew something was wrong especially when nothing changed even after lots of rest. When I called our pediatrician half a week later the morning of November 3rd, and shared everything, he listened. He didn’t brush it off. By that night, at 9:13 pm, as I put away paint rollers and tried to finish my own endless to-do list, the call came through… “I’m 99% certain it’s leukemia.”

That phone call is a moment frozen in time, a before and after. The days that followed were a blur as we admitted Keigen to the hospital and faced the reality of a treatment plan that would span years, a battle that would push us all to our limits.

Three Years of Strength, Courage, and Love

What I’ve witnessed in these three years is something I still struggle to put into words. Leukemia is a beast that strips away innocence, robs moments, and challenges every ounce of faith. I’ve watched as Keigen was forced to endure things that no child should… chemotherapy, side effects, pain, and exhaustion. The treatment, while lifesaving, feels like an unrelenting thief of so many pieces of his childhood. But through it all, I have seen a strength in him that I could only dream of possessing.

He’s not just surviving; he’s fighting. Every single day, he wakes up and continues this battle, showing me… and everyone around him… that courage isn’t loud or flashy. It’s quiet, steady, and, sometimes, it looks like just getting up in the morning.

The Hidden Battles We Don’t Often Share

The last three years haven’t gotten easier I’d say… everything has been the same this whole time, even if I don’t post about it as much. This fight has just become our “normal” in ways I never expected… Maybe it seems easier because of the “normal-ness”… but there is never anything easy when it comes to Cancer… Every day, he still takes his chemo. He still deals with the ups and downs, the setbacks, the slow process of regaining strength only to face new challenges with knee pain, hip pain, back pain… etc… And while I may not share every detail publicly, know that his journey is ongoing, his fight relentless.

His final chemotherapy is scheduled for February 25, 2025. His appointments will continue for years, but we’re counting down the days, holding onto hope, and praying for that light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. Yet at the same time, I know this experience will live with us, shaping us in ways we may not fully understand until we’re finally on the other side.

Gratitude in the Midst of Pain

Today, as I look back on these three years, I feel both immense pain and deep gratitude. I’ll always hate November 3rd for what it took from us, but I’ve learned to find the parts to be grateful for so the pain doesn’t consume… I choose to be grateful for what it has shown me… the strength of my son, the unbreakable bond we share, and the power of resilience in the face of unthinkable adversity. Keigen has lost so much, yet he’s gained a spirit to power through unlike any I’ve ever seen, and I couldn’t be prouder.

To everyone who has supported us… thank you. You have no idea how much your love, encouragement, and prayers have meant. We’re holding onto hope, step by step, moment by moment, and while this day will always be bittersweet, I’ll forever be in awe of our boy, our warrior.