Days went on and the pain did not go away. I was giving Zoey pain meds around the clock just for her to rest. We went to Nebraska to visit family for Thanksgiving, the pain continued nightly. I decided once again to take her to the ER while out of town. Again, I was told it was constipation. They gave her an enema and relieved some pain but not all. Once we returned home, I scheduled an appointment with her primary doctor. On December 1, 2021, I got a call from the doctor’s office that they had a sooner appointment if I wanted to bring Zoey in. Of course I did. I went and picked her up from daycare and took her right away. As I explained the situation to the doctor, he believed it could be growing pains and they were going to monitor her. Before leaving to go home she had a full blood draw done. 

We continued our day as normal once leaving the doctor’s office. That night, as we were getting ready to sit down for dinner, I received a phone call that Zoey’s labs were not good, and they wanted to admit her to Loma Linda Children’s Hospital that night. At this point I didn’t know what to do. I was a single parent of two, with one having to go to the hospital. I called my mother and told her what was going on and she was on her way immediately to lend a hand. 

As I waited for the hospital to contact me in regard to a bed being ready, I packed a little bag for Zoey and me. Upon arriving at the hospital, we followed the instructions of going to unit 4800, which became our home for the next month and a half. That night several tests were ran: blood tests, bone marrow biopsies, EKG, ECHO. On December 3rd the doctor came and told us Zoey had cancer. Our world changed. What we thought was growing pains and constipation ended up being so much worse. 

Life was different for our entire family. Zoey was now in the hospital indefinitely undergoing chemotherapy and recovery time. Zoey went from a child being able to run freely everywhere with her brother, to being isolated in a hospital room. Although I am a single mother, I have such a big village and support system. Family, friends and the staff and teams at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. My mother has been with us every step of the way. My sister was able to come from Virginia to California to help with my son. Zoey went through 4 rounds of chemo before undergoing her first bone marrow transplant. The longest she was out of the hospital was just under 2 weeks. Her life was now hospital and the clinic. 

Once she went in for her transplant she was in the hospital a total of 4 months consecutively, with no breaks at home. It was tough being in isolation but whenever she was able to get out of her room we leaped at the opportunity. I knew part of healing is to remain active, to keep her strength up. It was hard for her not being able to see her brother everyday or go to her Nana’s house. It was a big adjustment for our family mentally and physically. Not having both children home for several holidays including Christmas was a big one. As a family we made it work and are forever grateful for the staff at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and the Childhood Cancer Foundation of Southern California and many other organizations for making our stays comforting. 

– Brittany Jones, mother