Baby Orin was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma at just 13 months old. He braved extensive chemotherapy to try and shrink the tumor doctors discovered in his liver, but they didn’t work. Orin’s best chance at survival was surgery to remove the right lobe of his liver, followed by more chemo to make sure the cancer stayed away. It was a scary time for his mom, Alex.
“I told the doctors to give us all of the news, no matter how hard it was to hear,” Alex remembers. “We wanted to do whatever we needed to do to keep him comfortable and help him survive. We were introduced to ASK on our first day of Clinic, and I knew our family had a lifelong partner in Orin’s battle against cancer, and then survivorship.”
Long appointments were made much more fun for Orin and his big sister, Iris, with the help of Katie Barber, ASK’s Child Life Specialist at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. She works with children and families every day, entertaining them with games and toys from the Clinic toy box, lending emotional support to make the big, scary hospital a bit not-so-scary. ASK also stepped in to support Orin’s family through the many financial challenges often brought on by a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
"We didn’t even ask for it, ASK just offered it to us. I can’t tell you how important that support is to us!” - ASK mom Alex
“Financially, ASK continues to be a huge help,” Alex explains. “My husband used all of his leave from work and had to take unpaid leave. ASK was able to pay part of our mortgage and regularly provides gas and food cards, which takes away some of the financial stress. We didn’t even ask for it, ASK just offered it to us. I can’t tell you how important that support is to us!”
Orin is now cancer-free and enjoying all the things sweet two-year-old boys like to do: climbing on furniture, throwing things, and having bubble parties with his sister! As Orin continues to improve, his family looks forward to continuing to build community and connection at ASK events like the upcoming ASK Night at the Squirrels and ASK 5K & Fun Walk at the Diamond next May.
“We went to the ASK prom, and it was a blast. Although we’re taking it one day at a time, we’re looking forward to meeting other ASK families and experiencing some of the fellowship opportunities now that Orin is finished with treatment,” Alex continues.
“This has been a gut-wrenching experience, but we’ve learned to do what we need to do for our child. We don’t have immediate family in the area, so the folks of ASK have become like family. I know that as long as we have the support from ASK to guide us and support us, we’ll be OK, and we can do this thing called ‘childhood cancer!’”