September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Join us today, September 28, 2009 as CURE Childhood Cancer honors CURE Kid Keith Towells. Join our fight as CURE’s Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time! Donate to Keith’s fund.
Keith Towells’ Story:
Keith Dewayne Towells, my first and only son, entered this world on March 24, 2003, weighing 8 lbs and 4 oz. The first 18 months of his life were ‘normal’ and he was perceived to be in perfect health. In October of 2004, that perception quickly diminished revealing an unfathomable reality: Keith was diagnosed with AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia).
Keith’s treatment protocol included three intensive rounds of chemotherapy at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Scottish Rite Campus). He bravely fought through each round and bounced back with the uncanny resolve of a true champion. In January 2005, the doctors confirmed Keith was in remission and scheduled him for a bone marrow transplant to conceivably give him the greatest chance of being cured.
Keith’s bone marrow donor was his older sister Morgan (surprisingly she was a PERFECT genetic match)! The bone marrow transplant took place in Baltimore, MD at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Morgan was only 6 years old at that time, but she was very brave and excited to help her brother.
90 days post-transplant, the doctors discovered that Keith had relapsed; the Leukemia was back and even more aggressive. Unfortunately, there were no other viable treatment options for Keith, so I made the decision to take him back to the familiar surroundings and people of our home in Atlanta, Ga.
For the next month, we enjoyed all the comforts of home while suffering through the pains of not knowing what was next. How many more months, days, hours, or minutes were we going to be given to share with Keith? No one knew.
I am so grateful that we were blessed with 1 month and 8 days more, as Keith Dewayne Towells’ body exited this world on June 6, 2005. Keith peacefully passed away at home in his race car bed at the tender age of two. His physical presence with us was limited, but his spirit will thrive in our hearts forever.
My ‘new-normal’ reality, being a bereaved parent, is one I have found no word to adequately describe. There will never be a word. However, there is hope that no other parent will be faced with searching for that word. CURE is the epitome of that hope because it advocates for much needed pediatric cancer research.
Sincerely,
Keith’s mom
About September & CURE’S Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time:
September is recognized as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This September, CURE Childhood Cancer has committed to raising awareness and raising money to help find a cure for childhood cancer in our lifetime and put an end to this terrible disease through a special program CURE’s Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time!
Please help us in our goal of raising $30,000 in the month of September while honoring special CURE kids each day of the month who have been affected by childhood cancer.
For more information, please click here.
About CURE Childhood Cancer:
Founded in 1975, CURE Childhood Cancer is dedicated to conquering childhood cancer through research, education and support of patients and their families. Since its establishment as a grass-roots organization, CURE has focused its efforts on improving the care, quality of life, and survival rate of children with cancer.
The founders, parents and a dedicated pediatric oncologist, joined forces to support laboratory research that would translate into immediate care for children with cancer.
Since that time, CURE has raised millions of dollars to fund cutting edge research at the Aflac Cancer Center Blood Disorders Service at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine.
Through innovative programming, CURE also provides support for stricken families, providing them comfort and support during their time of devastating need.
Donate to Keith’s fund
Visit us online at www.curechildhoodcancer.org for more information.
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