My War With Cancer

On April 12, 2007 (at age 18), Nicholas Raitt was diagnosed with stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma - a very rare childhood cancer, located in his right sinus area. On April 15, 2008, he was confirmed to have no evidence of disease (NED). The cancer returned in his pancreas and he began his battle once again on April 15, 2009. On December 3rd, 2009, scans confirmed again NED but relapsed on August 18, 2010 in his abdominal cavity. On June 2, 2011, Nick earned his angel wings.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

It feels like we won the lottery!

Dad Here,
It was the best possible news we could have asked for. When ever I hear any negative news I find myself ending the conversation with "That's terrible but I just learned that my son is cancer free"( Geico twist). Nick plans on racing competitive motocross this summer and I'm asking myself why did I ever agree to get him a dirt bike. With the high probability of injury I find some humor in knowing that he may kill himself on that bike but at least he was cancer free! Nick will require scans every three months and after 2.5 years the chance of a relapse drops considerably. Nick plans on working at Discount Tire this summer and starting school at the University of Utah in the fall. I need to also thank Blue Cross BlueShield and University Health Care Billing. I don't know how I would have been able to sort through the billing maze without their help. I'm so greatful to have excellent insurance.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Greetings baby brother,
In case you didn't think of this - Nick's initials (NR) stand for NO RETURN - which is great when we think about cancer but not so great when you mention his motorcycle. My suggestion is to take some good advice from your son - Don't worry - Be Happy.
Love, aunt Chris; April 17, 2008 at 7:17 PM