Superman's kryptonite

Superman & big brother (on a good day) driving around the hospital

Recently our family had our worlds turned upside down. At the end of May my 2 year old nephew "Superman" was diagnosed with cancer. After many tests and surgery it was determined that he has a rare form of cancer called Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney - a cancer affecting only 20 people per year, and I think my brothers own words voice perfectly what went through all of our minds when we heard this diagnosis,

"When I think about it, it seems almost preposterous that my son would be one of those few. Like most people, I've seen people from a distance that get very sick, or lose loved ones tragically, or have children stricken with cancer or other severe maladies, and I've rarely if ever seriously considered the possibility that it could hit so close to home. But on the other hand, I have always had the thought "why not me?" or "why not us?". In other words, I've always known that nobody is immune to great trials, and I guess now I know it more than ever. There is one thing I have learned from seeing other people face similar trials, and that is that there is always a bigger divine purpose, a greater life lesson to be learned."

This trial, for my brother & his wife and family, is huge. Juggling the lives of 6 children is challenging enough, and added to that now is a two year old going through chemo. We all know the difficulties of dealing with a young child who simply has a fever or common cold, now imagine the ordeal of trying to get medicines/catheters/needles/food/drink etc. into a child who is suffering with every pain and trial imaginable. And yet each day my brother and his wife share with us what they are going through, and each day it is one of the two of them who is reminding us to have faith and trust in Heavenly Fathers plan for us. Their strength and faith is almost incomprehensible at a time like this...and yet it is certainly not misplaced.

There are a few words which the wife of my other brother shared with everyone, which I never want to forget, and so I will share them here,

"When my dad had his stroke he went through surgery the first night. If it had been successful it would have made the recovery much quicker. I remember thinking that the surgery was the answer. It wasn't successful and my mom taught me a great lesson of faith. She related a story from Judges 7 where the Lord told Gideon, as he was about to go to battle, to reduce his army from 10,000 to 300 men so that they could see that it was the Lord who would save them. I learned that sometimes things have to look pretty bad so that we can see the miracles from the Lord. We aren't saved by man but by the Lord. No matter how bad it looks or what the medical research says, "Superman" can be healed completely. My mom was reminding me that we only listened to the doctors with one ear because we know that the Lord's power is great. It didn't really matter what limitations they were putting on the recovery because with faith and the Lord's power there are no limitations."

Isn't it easy to let ourselves rely too heavily on man and forget where true power and true healing comes from. Right now Superman is struggling with the early phases of chemo, and with adjusting to a life that is entirely unfamiliar to him. The miracles at this time are small and simple, "Superman drank 4 oz. of juice today" or "Superman took most of his medicine without a struggle." But we are certainly praying for the big ones as well, like that Superman won't lose his hearing due to the form of chemo he is going through, and of course that the cancer will leave his body entirely and that the small lesions they've found on his brain and spine will not also prove to be cancerous. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people praying daily for Superman (one of the bounteous blessings of belonging to a church such as ours) which makes it easier to have faith that the will of the Lord will come to pass. Please, if you feel so inclined, add your prayers to ours in behalf of Superman. And there is a website I can direct you to, which my brother and his wife update daily, if you know them or us and would like more information/updates.

Below I am including an MR image of one of the tumors...it is unbelievable.

This is a "cross section" image of Superman's abdomen. The lower circle surrounded by the white horseshoe is his spine. The large smooth grayish mass to the left is the tumor(s). The cluster of multi colored shapes to the right are his organs. Unbelievable.