Kalvin's life has been a series of challenges, but his spirit remains unbroken. With a quick wit and a vivid imagination, Kalvin lights up every room he enters. When he's feeling well, he loves to dedicate his free time to practicing his drawing techniques and sharing a 7-Eleven Slurpee with his mom. His determination to overcome hardship and his passion for creativity inspires all who know him.
While admirable, Kalvin's resilience and positive attitude made it difficult to recognize the subtle signs of his declining health. It wasn't until his mom, Brittany, noticed something was amiss. "He was walking to and from school, and it's about a mile exactly from where we live…I noticed that he would come home and be breathing rapidly like he couldn't catch his breath. It started during the wildfires, so I thought, 'he walks [to school], has a gym for his last class, and then walks home. The smoke from the wildfires is getting into his lungs.' I'm thinking that's what is happening." ASK mom Brittany recalls the early days of Kalvin's symptoms.
On December 1st, three days after Kalvin turned 16, Brittany took him for quick visit to the emergency room, just to double and triple check on Kalvin's breathing. This initial “quick visit” took a turn for the worst after running a few blood tests. Immediately, Kalvin and his mom were transferred from the emergency room in Fishersville to UVA Children's Hospital for further evaluation.
Brittany recalls that exact moment when she asked the doctor at Fisherville's ER, "Are you telling me my kid has cancer?' like, let's just cut to the case, and he said, 'It's looking that way.' So we were transferred from the hospital here in Fishersville to UVA [Children's Hospital]...that was 8:30 am when I took him to [the ER in Fishersville], and then by 11 pm that night, we were officially admitted at UVA Children's Hospital."
Not only did Brittany leave the emergency room with potentially a new diagnosis for her son that would devastatingly rock any family to its core, but they were also being transferred to a hospital within the UVA Medical System that already holds heartbreaking significance to their family. "I should also point out that this is the 6th anniversary of the passing of his father and my husband this past October. He died at UVA, and I hadn't set foot in UVA up until that day." The memories of his father passing away at the same hospital made this new reality even more difficult for Kalvin and his mom. "Neither one of us really wanted to go back there…I had tears rolling down my eyes…Anything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong…this is the only connection I have left to my husband… he's my baby, and I mean we lost his father, we lost our home, we lost his cat, we had just started to get back on our feet" Brittany shares tearfully.
The Hematology/Oncology Team at UVA Children's Hospital was immediately able to diagnose Kalvin with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. "It is a three-year process, and this will be the first year…we basically lived at UVA for a whole month…Now, my son has never had any surgery, never had blood taken, nothing. He has had a lot of firsts thrown at him. The last time he was in a hospital was when he was born."
Throughout the past year of Kalvin's treatment, Brittany, a single mom, has been able to focus on his care and well-being without worrying about financial burdens.
"ASK has really been absolutely wonderful with the financial support, and that has been such a stressful area for me. My main concern was how I was going to keep up with the new bills and things he needs to help him get through this, and thanks to ASK, I haven't been late on one bill, which makes me feel great and helps in the long run." - Brittany ASK Kid Kalvin's Mom
ASK provides support to active treatment families like Kalvin’s to help pay non-medical bills with the understanding that a childhood cancer diagnosis can be devastating for families, financially as well as emotionally. Kalvin and his family will continue to receive financial assistance and access to community resources throughout his treatment to make their experience less stressful and so that Brittany can pay full attention to Kalvin’s health.
With one year of treatment under their belt and time to process their new reality, Brittany and Kalvin can now look back on the early days of their diagnosis and share this advice with other families facing similar journeys:" Try not to let your imagination or thoughts [run wild]. Because cancer is the scariest word on the planet, and nobody thinks they are going to go through it…be patient, and it's okay to get mad or speak up...That is your baby, and you know them better than anyone."