Today is the day that changed our family. Beth received a phone call this afternoon from Dr. K informing us that Braxton had been diagnosed with cancer.
Some background: Braxton has been having some on-going issues with his left knee, but nothing had suggested that these issues were cancer related. Braxton is a thirteen year old boy who enjoys playing football and baseball, enjoys video games and television, and rough-housing with his sisters.
About two years ago Braxton injured his knee playing football. During the next football season, he complained intermittently about more pain in his knee. Finally in October of 2007, the pain was too great to ignore.
We took Braxton to his family doctor who took some x-rays of his leg and knee. These x-rays showed some tissue growth behind his right knee. Braxton was referred to a specialist who did some more testing, but had no explanation for the tissue growth. Braxton had the tissue surgically removed and biopsies came back negative. At that time the best guess as to a diagnosis was osteonecrosis, a condition where a bone stops growing. The bone is considered dead.
The first course of treatment for osteonecrosis was to do nothing. Braxton was put on crutches and directed to keep weight off the knee for 8 weeks. The goal was to see if the bone would start regenerating on its own.
After a period of four months, Braxton had an
The surgery went well and a large glob of soft viscous tissue was removed from behind the knee. Doctor ______ said that nothing about the tissue appeared cancerous, but that it would be sent out for biopsy.
Then came our fateful Friday the 14th. Beth got the phone call late in the afternoon. She was in tears when David arrived home from work. “Dr. K called. Braxton has cancer.”
Three words.
“Braxton has cancer.”
With these terrifying words our journey begins.
+ DH
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