The Importance of Community Immunity

By: Alison, mother, Portland, OR

Terror is the word I use to describe what it feels like to learn that your child has cancer.  A chill that takes over your body, rapid heartbeat, mind racing.

But we cheered in our six year old daughter's hospital room when told that her type of Leukemia has a treatment plan with a high cure rate.  It would mean more than two years of bone marrow biopsies, surgeries, transfusions, spinal taps, and chemotherapy.  So much chemo.  The drugs would kill the cancer and save her life but they would also kill her immune system, leaving her vulnerable.  We did what we could to keep her safe as she endured the treatment-- stocking up on hand sanitizer and limiting where we took her. Weeks were spent trapped in an isolation hospital room when fevers struck.

We did our best to push aside the terror and keep our family thriving, but I could not stop the terror when told that there was a child with Whooping Cough at my daughters' school.  Nor could I stop it as we canceled our trip to Disneyland during the Measles outbreak. 

Our community was not protecting our daughter. 

Our loving community that cooked us meals, helped care for our other daughter, sent our children gifts; the wider community that made a custom wig, built a dream playhouse, provided a special getaway. I will never forget the waived dental bill, or the unordered donuts that appeared with a hot chocolate.  There are so many kind people that want to help. 

I long for a day when all forms of cancer have a treatment plan.  I hope that the treatments we do have can become less toxic.  And in the meantime, I want everyone to know that they can help.  Vaccinating your children and keeping your community healthy is the most important thing you can do to help all people with cancer.