My Cancer Journey

• Jake Connell, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2015

This story is about my cancer experience. My name is Jake Connell. I have one younger brother and three older sisters. I was 8 years old when I was first diagnosed with cancer. It all started 3 days before Christmas, I had been sick for a week. Mum and Dad thought I had a stomach bug, as I was vomiting and had really bad headaches. Mum called the After Hours doctor to come around. He looked at my ears and eyes, and noticed my pupils were not reacting to the light. He sent us straight down to the Gold Coast Hospital. They gave me a pin prick to check that I wasn’t dehydrated and a tablet to make me feel better.
Not long after being at hospital they took me in for a MRI scan. The first time I went in it made loud noises and the nurse said press this button if you get scared. I did press it. Then I went to lay down and feel asleep. After that I don’t remember anything that happened. The next thing I remember was waking up in another hospital. Mum told me that I had an MRI scan and that I had tumour in my brain which was cancer. We stayed in intensive care for a few hours and then we went to a normal ward. I needed to use the bathroom and when I was walking out I got dizzy and fell but luckily my Dad caught me. I hated having all the medicines they were giving me.
On the 24th of December 2013, I had surgery to release the pressure from around my brain caused from the tumour. They put a new drainage hold in to release the pressure. We spent Christmas at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane with all my family in the play area. I still got some good presents. I got an Ipad Mini which was exactly what I wanted, so that afternoon was spent playing on my Ipad in my hospital bed. We then got to go home for the weekend, but had to be up at the Royal Children’s Hospital early on the Monday morning.
I had a central line put in while in surgery and then I started chemotherapy. I would have three days of chemo, then 3 weeks off and then 6 days and 3 weeks off. I did this for six rounds of chemotherapy. I would have to go up to the hospital every week for blood and dressing changes. The dressing changes hurt because every dressing they tried on me, would give me an allergic reaction. After chemo I then did radiation therapy every day except weekends for 6 weeks. Mum and I would drive to Brisbane everyday so I didn’t have to stay overnight there.
The worst thing was also losing all my hair and having to stay in hospital for days and days.
My doctor is Dr Tim Hassall and he is the best doctor. He always does my lumber punctures instead of someone else doing them.
On the 7th of July 2014 on my 9th birthday, I finished my last dose of radiation and I am currently cancer free. I still have to go to the hospital, but not weekly, only about every 3 months for an MRI scan check-up. I’m glad it’s over and my hair has grown back.