Team Caden Monster

It has been FOURTEEN YEARS since the day that changed everything. Grateful to have him happy & healthy with us today.

Wishing Caden a very happy 16th 👀 birthday today! 🎂

His last pediatric oncology follow up appointment.

His long term health follow up will continue, forever, but this is still a big milestone. He is to the part where we are far more concerned about long term health effects that come with aging post treatment (survivors tend to have health issues we all see, creep in earlier than healthy peers) than the return of Leukemia, and that is as good as it gets for childhood cancer survivors. Pediatric Oncology in some shape or form has been part of our lives since 2010! Feels a little weird to close that chapter, but weird in a good way.

Caden‘s sisters all play soccer and this sweet kiddo plays on a team 2/3 sister play against pretty regularly. We are asking everyone to include them in your thoughts and prayers as they begin a path we unfortunately know all to well our selves. I hate hate hate to see new diagnosis, especially one from our very own community. They need all the good juju we can muster for them.

Cat is in surgery right this moment.

Fingers crossed for successful surgery and an easy post operation recovery, we hope you have some good news coming your way soon Cat!

Carrasco family needs prayer warriors!
Cataleya oh our sweet baby girl! Friday evening our families world was rocked! We took her in to be seen for headaches and persistent vomiting, this was ongoing for some time. We were told yesterday that our baby girl has brain cancer. She has been thru one MRI where our 10 year old wasn’t able to sit still for so long, so she is currently heavily sedated in the second one. She is anxious, she is scared, she has her spirit and is very humble. We come to you with our hearts heavy, and ask for any and all prayer warriors to please pray for her, for the Lord to guide the Surgeon and Dr’s hands, and for my family. We are also scared, and her sisters and brothers and grandparents, uncles and aunts and all family we have faith in our Lord! We will update as we can please be patient with us as every moment is different and we are learning as we go! We love and appreciate all of you! Thank you!

Happy ten years off treatment 🎉

Happy TEN YEARS off treatment to Caden 🎉

2024 brings a big milestone - ten years off treatment (on the 13th)

Here is an exciting update on Caden - his high school band has had a super busy fall, they earned a division 1 rating at regional competition, which moved them to area, where they earned first place and are heading to the 5a UIL state marching contest next week! Here are a few pictures of him doing his thing. See the next post for a video of their show!

Caden’s sister has a Lego drive going on now, that benefits childlife UMC Children's Hospital, if you feel so inclined, here is a link to help out!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/PVMSWRD02KA1?ref_=wl_share

The girls would love your help! We are collecting new in the box lego sets to be donated to our local children's hospital, child life program. Being a kid in the hospital is tough, legos are a highly sought after item in the hospital setting, to provide kids with something fun to do while confined to a hospital room.

Being part of Sting Soccer Club & Sting West Texas means we are part of a much wider community, beyond just soccer, projects like this allow the girls to be active members of the community they live in, while helping their local community at the same time. Helping to instill good character and morals, both on and off the field!

Be on the look out for videos from our players, convincing YOU to help with this!

Here are the ways to donate: purchase a new in the box lego set, and give it to your favorite 12g player to turn in, donate via cash app $StingWTXg12 and the girls will do the shopping for you! Lastly, donate a set from anywhere, by making a purchase from our amazon list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/PVMSWRD02KA1?ref_=wl_share

There are 70 life years lost when a child dies from cancer compared to 14 potential life years lost for adults. Despite this disparity, the National Cancer Institute only dedicates 8.3% of the national cancer research budget to childhood cancer, while the other 91.7% is dedicated to adult cancer research.

The B+ Foundation is committed to getting closer to a world where every kid gets the chance to grow up. Each year, we visit Washington D.C. to advocate for more government funding. In the last 5 years, this funding has more than doubled from where it was (less than 4%), but our kids still deserve more!

September is childhood cancer awareness month and here are some ways that YOU can help!

1. Spread awareness, you might be surprised to see how many people don’t realize Children get cancer too. This is a problem, because when people are unaware, they do not care, when they do not care, they can’t contribute to the much needed advocacy this cause would benefit from

2. Donate BLOOD & Platelets 🩸 obviously if you are here, you know Caden had blood cancer and blood cancer treatment tends to require A LOT of blood products as both supportive and life saving care. Caden received red cells, immunoglobulin and platelets - all require donation. IgG is made from thousands of them in fact! Many kinds of cancer will require these products as they go through treatment

3. Join the bone marrow registry- be a life saving match for someone, YOU can literally cure some kinds of cancer this way!

4. Donate to and support your local children’s hospital (call and ask them how best to help, they all have different needs depending on their funding) help kids have an easier go while hospitalized

5. Support a family local to you, gas, medical bills, stays away from home etc, it all adds up. Ask them what they need. Then follow through on doing it (could be as simple as mowing their lawn, normal upkeep often takes a back seat while a child is fighting to survive)

6. Be aware of who and what you are supporting and where the money actually goes. Be weary of “feel good, do nothing” campaigns. Think critically about what your awareness and advocacy is actually accomplishing, and what you would like it to acomplish. Unfortunately cause marketing has become a big big thing (we don’t want to follow the same mis-steps as breast cancer awareness here) we don’t need a gold label on another product that only gives a few cents and nothing more (this actually prevents people from partaking in real advocacy that would make bigger strides, it leaves people with a “I did my part” feeling while it has accomplished very little) we don’t need a building to light up gold. We are moving beyond the basic awareness- we are aware! Now what - we need your time, energy, literal blood and money (it’s the truth lol I’ll say it) going to reputable orgs making real change! If you need a suggestion on an org making strides specifically in childhood cancer research, St. Baldrick's Foundation is the best!

Usually during childhood cancer awareness month we choose an org to promote, and ask for donations on behalf of Caden. This year is the 40th anniversary for our local hospital’s Children’s miracle network telethon - this is the hospital Caden was treated at. Each year they host a telethon to raise additional funding for UMC Children's Hospital.

Back in 2011 we were asked if we would like to share Caden’s story for the telethon and we agreed. We had no idea what a pivotal moment that would be for our family. We have experienced first hand the blessings that CMN brings to local hospitals. Resources, equipment and facilities, support for staff and patients that make hospital life easier. We met a second Hospital family when we decided to participate, and that too has been a blessing!

It is because of CMN that we were able to have Caden treated locally. It is the reason they have a pediatric oncology department that is well staffed and well supported with access to Children’s oncology group protocols and research data. It’s the reason there are long term stay rooms that are actually comfortable to live in (we know, we did it!) it’s the reason there is a well supported PICU, it’s the reason childlife can support patients so well! It’s the reason all kinds of life saving equipment that is made just for kids is available here. (And as we all know, no cancer kid is ever just a patient in oncology, we ultimately end up in MANY departments at the hospital) it’s the reason a special room exists specifically for families to say their last goodbyes 🥺 They have funded all kinds of things that contribute to the over all access to and quality of care in a hospital setting. I can tell you, it makes such a big difference. We watched our Hospital grow and change over the years Caden was treated, and even now still. We have seen these dollars at work with our own eyes.

So. While this is not a cancer specific cause, it’s an important one that very much impacts kids with cancer on the care side.

Here is a link to donate if you feel so inclined. There is a box you can check that says “make this donation on behalf of an organization” you are more than welcome to list Team Caden Monster in that box.

Give Now | Hospital Donations | UMC Health System Being the region's only Children's Miracle Network Hospital means you get to give to make a difference right here in Lubbock.

He was just a baby. We just past the 13 year mark on diagnosis date and that is just crazy to think about!

Not sure how this happened 😳

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CADEN 🎉

This kid amazes me. After everything he’s been through, he still manages to pull off these grades, balancing high school band, responsibilities at home, and all the work that comes with Pre-AP and honors courses. He makes it look easy. A known side effect of the treatment he endured is brain damage, so I guess he may have been a super genius without leukemia in the mix 🤣

We are very proud of Caden, and most importantly incredibly thankful that he is here with us today and doing so well. It’s hard to put into words how this makes you feel as a parent, after watching every spinal tap, surgery, injection, pill, blood transfusion, the scary infections, debilitating side effects, heart problems, black box warnings, all those prolonged hospitalizations, and a very touch and go life for a good while, to see him like this now is just indescribable. There was a point in time we didn’t know if we’d even see the next month… I will never get tired of seeing him thrive. ❤️

It’s been nine years since he finished chemotherapy for Leukemia. Time flies when you are chemo free ❤️

He continues to amaze us, he has had a crazy crazy schedule being in marching band this year (fellow band parents and kids know..) rehearsing before and after school 4 days a week, games every Friday, contests every weekend. Transitioning to high school is always an adjustment for everyone, and his academic load is no joke. Advanced Spanish, two math classes, biology, AP English. He has always been a straight A student, and that trend continues with his first high school report card 🎉

In the words of his sister “suck on that chemo brain damage!” 😂