Preston
This is the story of Preston:
Preston was born May 25, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Spring Valley Hospital. Preston’s delivery was a smooth process, he came to us at 7 pounds 8 ounces and 22 inches long. Preston was a healthy baby that ate good and slept fairly well. Shortly after Preston turned two-years-old; dad was giving Preston a bath and found blood in his urine. We knew that this was a serious matter and quickly rushed him to the emergency room to be seen by a pediatrician. After a month of testing which including ultrasounds, urine analysis and much more we suddenly were facing childhood cancer. Preston was diagnosed with a Wilms’ tumor also known as Nephroblastoma. Nephroblastoma is a type of childhood cancer that starts in the kidneys. It’s the most common type of kidney cancer in children. About 9 out of 10 kidney cancers are Wilms tumors. Preston’s diagnosis resulted in him having to have his right kidney removed due to the size and location of the tumor. However, Wilms tumors are grouped into two major types based on how they look under a microscope. Preston’s major type of Wilms tumor happen to be that of favorable histology, which has a very high chance of curing these types of tumors. Immediately after Preston’s nephrectomy he completed 22 rounds of chemotherapy through a port that was placed during surgery. During this time Preston had some complications, however, none that required any other immediate attention. We had tremendous help from friends and family at our side every step of the way; including Candlelighters, Cure for the Kids foundation, and we met some of the best nurses and physicians in Las Vegas. The first time we were introduced to Candlelighters we were in the hospital room comforting Preston when a representative came in and asked Preston if he wanted to choose a toy. Its moments like this that are the sparkle of joy within the day that is full of emotions and questions that is desperately needed. Preston today is our healthy happy little soccer player who loves his family and friends. You can often find him riding his bike or playing in the yard with his friends. He loves learning and improving his math skills and is always up for a good challenge. As parents of a son who has enduring this type of cancer, we would want other parents who are going through this to know that you have an amazing army behind you and that you will not be alone along the way. We want them to know to not give up hope. And to do your best to keep smiling even on the hardest of days because you have a little warrior looking up to you. Thank you Candlelighters for doing all that you do! We will always do what we can to contribute!
