Ben was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in February of 2026. Since then, he has been undergoing treatment like chemotherapy, medication and immunotherapy. Ben has been so brave throughout this process, and we are so proud of him!
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Our Brave Ben was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in February of 2026. It all started with ankle pain that quite literally came out of nowhere. We took him in for imaging to see if he had broken something without realizing. When that x-ray came back clear, we were sent home to continue elevating/icing and alternating pain meds. Throughout that day and into the evening, his pain became unbearable and he developed a fever. His dad took him to the ER where he was transferred over to the University of Iowa Stead Children's Hospital for suspicion of leukemia. Following the longest night of our lives, he was officially diagnosed and began his treatment with Pediatric Oncology on Level 11.
Since being diagnosed, Ben has endured many rounds of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, lumbar punctures, PICC lines, multiple diagnostic tests and screenings, nights in the hospital away from home, blood draws and port accesses too numerous to count. He has been the recipient of a blood transfusion and platelets, and has dealt with the many nasty side affects of a variety of medication. Through it all, he has been so brave and has done all that has been asked of him. In the months since his life changed, he has taken on each challenge with courage. He still has a long road ahead of treatment, but we know he will come out on the other side stronger than ever.
Although this has been a traumatizing few months for us all, joy and happiness have coexisted together with our fear and worry. We are grateful for the days when he feels like a normal kid again, and we have come to appreciate the little things. We have been blown away by the exceptional care he has received, as well as the support from friends and family near and far.
**Ben's diagnosis rocked our lives. We were thrown into a world we knew nothing about. The first several weeks were a blur. We were learning the ins and outs of being inpatient, hearing lingo we were unfamiliar with, figuring out how to manage a medication schedule and learning which meds did what, and adapting to our new normal. We learned how quickly medical expenses added up. We were given gift cards, supplies and donations for Ben by organizations within the hospital as well as from friends and family. We know how much of a difference that can make, therefore we are paying it forward. 100% of the proceeds donated back to us through CauseTeam will then be directly donated to help families on Level 11. This will go towards things like gift cards for gas and food, lodging, supplies for making a hospital stay more tolerable, and items for patients. Thank you for helping us make a difference for families like ours!**
Lastly, I should add, it is not lost on me that Ben has the same type of cancer that one of my favorite musical artists had as a young adult. Andrew McMahon went through treatment for B-ALL in his 20's and it inspired a lot of his songs on his album 'The Glass Passenger' with his band Jack's Mannequin. His song Swim, which has long been a favorite of mine, now brings a whole new perspective for me. Give it a listen if you need inspiration for swimming through a challenging time in your life. I like to tell Ben all about Andrew McMahon, and it was Ben's idea to add in this tidbit to his CausePage.
