Parental instinct is a powerful thing. Parents have an eye for ear infections and know the something-is-just-not-right signs of an impending cold or flu. For Jamie and her husband, Ben, they knew something was wrong when their daughter, Harlow, started crying more than usual just 2 weeks after she was born. Doctors said it was likely colic and suggested new formulas and different sleeping strategies, but Harlow wasn’t getting better. At 3 months old, her stomach swelled, and she stopped having wet diapers.
Putting a name to the problem
After a trip to the emergency room and several tests, Jamie and Ben got some startling news: a grapefruit-sized, cancerous tumor was blocking Harlow’s kidney. To make matters worse, pathologists couldn’t identify just what type of cancer it was. Finally, a team of pediatric oncologists operating out of Chicago concluded that Harlow’s cancer most resembled a rare type of brain cancer, and should be treated as such.
Unsure of a prognosis for Harlow, doctors did determine chemotherapy was the best protocol for treatment. Although Jaime and Ben feared watching their daughter suffer the painful side effects, seeing her smile was enough to make them know they were not going to give up. Then they asked an important question: could the cord blood stem cells they banked with ViaCord help?
Mom. She’s always there for us. She gives us love, encouragement, confidence and the best cookies in the world. This Mother’s Day, we salute moms everywhere with some interesting and fun facts about this special day and the remarkable women it honors.
When we think of