Luke
This is the story of Luke:
Luke is one of the darlings of the Candlelighters organization. Described by the Candlelighters team as one of the sweetest and most social kids you will ever meet, Luke brings a smile to everyone he meets.
The youngest of five children, Luke was born with Down Syndrome. Neither Luke nor his family has ever allowed his disability to stop him from living to his greatest potential. However, they have had to overcome some pretty tough obstacles. In May of 2014, Luke was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL.
Luke’s mom, Barbara, recalls how they received the diagnosis, “Luke had to have a new set of tubes put in his ears. He’d had multiple sets of tubes placed over the years, but this particular time, Luke just wasn’t bouncing back. He wasn’t eating well and was lethargic, so we went to the pediatrician.
“During the exam, the pediatrician noticed a rash on Luke’s arms. His tone quickly changed, and he said we should have some bloodwork done. He said, ‘You need to go tonight, not tomorrow.’ So, we went to the ER, and they took one look at him, immediately put him in a treatment room for bloodwork, and within 45 minutes, there was a physician telling us Luke had leukemia. That was the beginning of our journey and a month-long stay in the hospital, the first of many.
“As a parent, it’s a terrible shock, your worst nightmare, but I think you just get in a mindset of what do I need to do and how are we going to take care of this,” continues Barbara. “You just think, I have to fix this. I don’t have time to cry and be upset, even though we did our fair share of that too.”
Barbara cites their primary oncologist provider at the clinic, Dr. Walsh, the family’s older children, and Candlelighters, with helping them get through Luke’s diagnosis and treatment.
“I pretty much stayed at the hospital around the clock; Luke was never left alone. I would go home, take a quick shower and go right back,” Barbara recalls. “Luke having Down Syndrome was a blessing in disguise. Even though he was eight years old, he didn’t fully understand what was happening. He didn’t know what cancer was and still really doesn’t. He didn’t understand the severity of his condition and what could have happened.”
Despite the pain, Luke faced every treatment and day in the clinic with courage. “Luke was such a trooper. During his years of treatment, Luke never complained and very rarely cried. He was incredibly strong – much stronger than me.” Barbara remembers. “He is so social that he was always visiting with everybody at the clinic and talking to the other kids in the treatment rooms. It’s those moments, all the compassion and kindness, the little things, that get you through.”
“Sue Waltermeyer was also a big part of our journey. It was important for Luke to feel comfortable and loved when he was going to the clinic, and Sue was the epitome of those qualities. Sue would sing the nursery rhyme ‘There was an Old Woman who Swallowed a Fly’ to Luke each time he had to have his port accessed. He was just mesmerized by her voice. She would start to cry when the old woman in the story would cry, so Luke would try to comfort her, completely forgetting about the needle going into his chest. Sue was an invaluable member of our team. She is definitely our medical hero and we will never forget her.”
Luke bravely pulled through his cancer treatment and, at 17, is cancer free. He is a junior at Faith Lutheran High School and is as active as ever, participating in high school sports, Miracle League Baseball and Soccer, Special Olympics, and church activities. He loves music and travel, and on a recent trip to Italy, even got to meet Pope Francis.
Luke’s journey has left a lasting impression on many of those around him. “He taught me courage, most definitely courage,” Barbara says. “We would know he wasn’t feeling well, but even when he didn’t feel good, he would be smiling and joking and laughing. His incredible spirit kept us going and was such a blessing to us during our cancer journey. Luke is also a blessing to all those who have the privilege to know him.
