Meet Colton - a boy on his journey for a cure
"Your son has cancer."
If Paisley hadn't been a new addition to the family; if Justin hadn't been obsessive in reading about dog care; or if his wife, Stacia, hadn't been able to get an immediate doctor's appointment. Then, maybe the outcome for 3-year-old Colton would have been more devastating than just the loss of his right eye.
Colton's story starts with the acquisition of the St. Bernard puppy...
...explained his dad Justin. "I really like being well informed," he admitted. "So I was reading this stuff about Welcome Your New Dog and it talked about how puppies may have worms and they can be passed on to humans.
About that same time, Justin and his wife Stacia had noticed Colton's right eye looked a bit glossy, different than his left eye. "We also noticed a 'whiteness' in the eye in some photographs," Stacia said. "But nothing around the eye was red or draining, so we dismissed it."
June 8, 2009 started out like any other day for Colton. He and older brother Brady, 4, were going to their grandmother's house, and Justin and Stacia left for work. "I called Stacia at work that day and told her to call the veterinarian," Justin said. "I thought Colton's glossy eye might have something to do with a worm or disease that the new puppy might be carrying."
"I called the vet and shared my concerns about Colton and he said to call our pediatrician," Stacia explained. "When I called, I got in right away that day." As Dr. Aimee Lorenz examined Colton, the worm diagnosis was set to one side pretty quickly, Stacia said.
"Dr. Lorenz told me she wanted to look at Colton's eye with another scope," she recalled. "When she did, I could immediately tell by the look on her face that it was not good." The doctor's diagnosis was retinoblastoma, a fast-spreading cancer that if left untreated, could invade the optic nerve and the brain. Lorenz recommended an appointment with an optometrist. Colton was seen June 11 by Dr. Timothy Moran.
"Dr. Moran said we needed to get Colton to Iowa City immediately although he didn't confirm the retinoblastoma," Stacia said. "He thought it better to have some of the best doctors in the country examine the eye and be certain." A few hours later, Justin, Stacia and Colton were making the five-hour drive to the University of Iowa hospitals.
June 12 several doctors examined Colton and confirmed the rare childhood form of cancer. An MRI was ordered. The doctors estimated that Colton had about six to eight percent vision in his right eye. The good news from the MRI was there wasn't any cancer spread to the brain, spinal cord, or left eye. The bad news was the tumor and cancer took up almost two-thirds of Colton's right eye. The diagnosis was to remove the eye completely and immediate surgery was recommended.
"It was surreal," Justin confessed. "One minute Colton is jumping and playing and the next I'm being told my son has cancer. Even after the surgery and recovery, he was peddling a tricycle down the hall. But I remember walking out of the hospital and realizing I was taking my son home - alive," Justin said. "In beds on either side of him were kids who probably were never going home."
Doctors estimated that even a two week delay in seeing and diagnosing Colton might have not been enough to save his life, Stacia said. "It all happened so fast that it was impossible to internalize it all," she said. "It felt like everything was spiraling out of control in my heart."
Colton was fitted with a prosthetic eye in October - which was a big milestone for the Barkers. The fitting was delayed multiple times due to healing, so knowing it was complete was a triumphal feeling - additionally, this was the first time in 4 months they'd seen their son look like he had prior to diagnosis and surgery.
"I probably handled this all the worst," Stacia said. "I was scared for Colton and angry this was happening to him."
Late January was very momentous for Colton - he celebrated his 3rd birthday (one that Justin & Stacia wondered if they'd see) and he had his last round of chemo! The future looks bright for Colton....
Article written by Joanne Fox
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