Editor's Note: September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and we appreciate the Cadenhead family for sharing their experience so readers can learn more about this issue.
CRESTVIEW — Cancer treatments have improved so much in 50 years that the "c" word doesn't have to signal death.
For instance, in the 1960s, less than 10 percent of children diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia survived, according to the University of Colorado Cancer Center.
ALL — the most common childhood cancer — occurs when bone marrow makes too many immature white blood cells that prevent healthier agents from fighting infections.
Today, ALL's survival rate is more than 90 percent, according to the American Cancer Society's website.
'WE CAUGHT IT EARLY'
Bonnie and Paul Cadenhead of Crestview are thankful for such medical advancements and their son Westin’s early diagnosis.
“We caught it early, so we had a better outcome,” Bonnie said. “Twenty years ago, it would have been a death sentence for him.”
Westin, who was diagnosed with ALL at age 5, is now 7, and he is in remission, the Cadenheads said. He takes monthly chemotherapy treatments at the Nemours Children’s Clinic in Pensacola, and doctors hope for full recovery by next year.
“He should be completely done with treatments (which include taking medications and receiving spinal taps) by next August,” Bonnie said.
KEEPING THE FAITH
Cancer is just a footnote for Westin, a first-grader at Walker Elementary School who plays baseball and basketball.
And Westin said he looks forward to playing football in the near future.
But two years ago, when the situation was new and scary, friends and family offered emotional and financial support, which included organizing fundraisers to help cover medical costs.
Although diagnosis and initial treatments can be rough for any family facing childhood cancer, Paul suggested keeping the faith.
“I would just suggest relying on (Jesus) Christ," he said. "Nobody has the strength to go through something like that alone."
Bonnie added some advice.
"It gets better with time," she said.
DID YOU KNOW?
Childhood cancers annually account for 1 percent of all cancer diagnoses. More than 10,000 children under age 15 have been diagnosed with cancer this year. Source: The American Cancer Society.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Couple credits medical advancements, faith for son's progress