WILMS Tumor

It’s considered the most wonderful time of the year. It was December 6th 2003 and we were decorating the Christmas tree. My sister was there and the kids were overly excited. Jasmine was an average size three year old but thin. My sister noticed her belly was slightly protruding. I just called it her juice belly because she didn’t eat much but liked to drink juice. However, this time I went over to rub it and realized it was quite hard. I knew this was not normal.

I decided to take her to the ER that night to get an evaluation. Needless to say we did not leave the hospital for a week. After numerous test and scans Jasmine was diagnosed with nephroblastoma also known as wilms tumor or cancer of the kidney. Our whole world was turned inside out. My first called was to my mother, bad idea. Some grandmother’s don’t handle this kind of news too well. My next call was to my pastor, great idea. For someone who believes in the power of prayer, I had to inform my church family. The next day I had all these different doctors explaining to me about staging and borders and needing to have a port-a-cath placed to deliver chemotherapy and radiation down the line.

I am trying to process all of this information in a short period of time and to add insult to injury, Jasmine’s father and I were separated. I called my supervisor to let her know I would not be returning to work for awhile because I needed to care for my daughter. I was immediately thrust into really trusting God for everything, my livelihood and my daughter’s life. During our week in the hospital Jasmine had surgery to place her port and received her first dose of chemo. After that, we would visit the clinic weekly for lab work followed by chemo, if her neutrophil count was high enough. There would be days we would be there for six hours. There would be days we would meet kids and they would pass away before the next week. There would be days I was more exhausted than she was. You would never know she was sick until you saw her little bald head. After a few courses of chemo to shrink the tumor Jasmine had her second surgery to remove her entire left kidney. This was followed by a week of daily radiation treatments. I remembered having to hold her hand for the sedating process because she would begin to cry.

I asked the nurse, “why is she crying?” “Because she doesn’t like the way it makes her feel.” So I would have to go to the basement daily with Jasmine until she was put to sleep and then leave so they could administer the radiation. The Lord carried Jasmine through this entire process and built my faith in who He was as a provider, a comforter, and a friend.

I was out of work for seven months and not one bill was late. The Lord provided and made a way. I am convinced the Lord allowed me to go through this trial to draw me closer to him and learn of him. I also believe He prepared me for it. My faith in who God the father and our Lord Jesus Christ is is what enables me to take on any mountain. One thing I can say, God is faithful. Jasmine is a 17 year old beautiful young lady who is completely healed. She tells me she love me daily. She asks me, “do you need me to do anything for you mom?” Have a good night mom. She is the daughter everyone would love to have. Her heart is pure because she has been touched by God.

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