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Benjamin
Age 8
Quad Cities
On September 18, 1999, just one month prior to his 3rd birthday, Benjamin Carlsten, our fun loving, irresistible, high-energy boy, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). His face had become swollen (from what we believed to be allergies) and he complained of aching feet. He was a hard kid to keep down, but became increasingly "tired". A series of blood tests concluded that he had leukemia. Those are very hard words to hear...especially about your own son. Ben was immediately flown to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. There, additional tests were run and it was determined that cancer was present in his spinal fluid and other areas, thus classifying him as a "high risk" case. For the next nine weeks, he lived between St. Jude's and the Ronald McDonald House, as he underwent intense chemotherapy.
Prior to being diagnosed, Ben was the most energetic, outgoing child. During treatment, his personality would swing from ecstatic to depressed in a matter of minutes. While undergoing the induction phase of his treatment (first nine weeks), he became very lethargic, unable to walk, and would stand barely long enough to get his clothes on before collapsing. This was a very difficult thing to see.
His leukemia went into remission and Ben was allowed to return home by the end of November 1999. For the next two years, he made the trip to Memphis for high dose chemotherapy every eight weeks and received weekly treatments at the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate in Peoria, IL. In December 2000, after a positive response to the treatment. Ben's condition was upgraded and he no longer followed the "high risk" protocol. Ben still receives weekly treatments at St. Jude's in Peoria, but only has to make the trip to Memphis every six months now.
Other than a few hospitalizations due to infections and a bout with Chicken Pox, everything has gone according to plan. It has now been 2-1/2 years since his diagnosis and Ben gets stronger and stronger everyday. He is very strong-willed and everyone is amazed to see how well he handles everything. He participated in tee ball for the first time this past year and loved it. He loves being active, especially in sports...if there's a ball to be thrown, he wants in.
There is not a day that goes by that we do not thank St. Jude for saving Ben's life. It has not been an easy couple of years, but we cannot say enough about the doctors, nurses and staff at St. Jude's for their support and all they do to make this hardship a little bit easier...not only for Ben, but also for our entire family. We know that without them, Ben would no longer be with us.
It is due to the dedication of these doctors and nurses, and of the monetary support of the people who donate to St. Jude's, survival rates have dramatically improved. (ALL alone has improved from 4% in 1962 to approximately 80% presently.) It is because of this dedication that we, in turn, do all that we can to assist St. Jude.
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