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Ian the Cancer Wrangler, De Witt, IL (2026)

09/30/2026

💛 The Last Day of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 💛

Today is the last day of September. The last official day of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

But just because September ends doesn't mean the awareness should.

And fittingly, on the last day of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Ian had his annual hearing test, one of the appointments that continues because of treatment. High-dose Cisplatin and high-dose carboplatin, two of the chemotherapies he received a total of 9 different times, can cause permanent hearing loss, so his hearing will continue to be monitored for the rest of his life.

Ian is now in a phase I didn't fully understand until we got here, the transition from active treatment into survivorship care.

For so long, everything was about getting him through treatment. Chemo. Transplants. Radiation. Scans. Procedures. Hospital stays. Blood transfusions. Just getting him to the other side.

Now we're here.

And I think people sometimes imagine that when a child finishes treatment, the story is over.
It's not.

Now come the years of scans, bloodwork, oncology appointments, physical exams and monitoring for any sign of disease. As more time passes, the focus also shifts toward watching for the long-term and late effects of everything his little body had to endure.

And that's one of the things that makes childhood cancer so different.

These kids are receiving incredibly powerful treatments while their brains, bones, organs, hormones and entire bodies are still growing and developing.

Then, God willing, they have another 60, 70 or 80 years to live in the body that went through it.

Treatment can leave effects involving hearing, kidneys, heart, lungs, bones, hormones, fertility, growth, learning and memory, and even increase the risk of another cancer later in life. Not every survivor will experience every late effect, but their specific treatment history determines what doctors may need to watch throughout their lives.

Right now, Ian is still living with some physical side effects of everything his body went through, including his colostomy and G-tube. Our goal is to hopefully have both reversed someday, one more step toward leaving the visible side effects of cancer treatment behind

So Ian didn't simply have cancer as a little boy.

Cancer will forever be part of his medical history.
He will grow up having tests and screenings that most people his age will never think about. Doctors will need to know what chemotherapy he received, how much radiation he had, his transplants, surgeries and everything else his body experienced.

That is survivorship.

It's an incredible privilege to get here. 💛

But survivorship carries its own weight.

These kids don't only have to survive cancer.

They have to grow up in bodies that survived the treatment necessary to save them.

So tomorrow, when September ends and the gold ribbons start disappearing, please don't forget them.

Keep donating blood. 🩸
Keep supporting childhood cancer research. 🔬
Keep learning the signs and symptoms.
Keep supporting these families.
Keep asking for safer, better treatments.
And keep showing up for survivors long after treatment ends.

Because childhood cancer awareness doesn't end on September 30th.

September is when we turn everything gold. 🎗️

The rest of the year is when we prove we were paying attention. 💛

09/29/2026

💛 As we come towards the end of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, there is one thing I think every parent should know: KNOW THE SIGNS. 💛

Know what symptoms to watch for in your child, but even more importantly, know your child and trust yourself when something just doesn’t seem right.

Sometimes, as moms, we get backlash for worrying too much.

For having that “mom gut feeling.”

For giving the doctor too much information.

For mentioning every tiny detail because we aren’t sure what matters and what doesn’t.

After what we experienced with Ian, I will tell you this:

NEVER feel guilty for any of it.

Ian’s first signs was he woke up with a dry diaper. He was 2 but not yet working on potty training yet and usually nighttime potty training is the last stage.

Ian normally went to bed with a sippy cup and woke up with a very full diaper. That morning, he didn’t.

That small change was enough for me to think, Something isn’t right. So I made an appointment with his pediatrician.

Throughout the day, he was also lethargic. Nothing incredibly alarming, more like a little boy who might be coming down with something and just wanted to cuddle with Mommy.

At the doctor’s office, I told his doctor everything I had noticed.

And then I mentioned one more tiny detail that I didn't really think was important, but I'm so glad I mentioned it.

Earlier, I had laid Ian down on his little cot to sleep. When I came back about an hour later, he was sleeping on the floor next to it.

That was strange to me.

My kids don’t wake up and just put themselves back to sleep somewhere else. They come find me.

So I told his doctor:

“I think he might be having trouble walking.”

That little observation changed everything.

His doctor stood up, walked me toward the door and told us to go to the ER for a CT scan. A tumor was one of the possibilities he was concerned about.

And eventually, our lives changed forever.

That is why I will ALWAYS tell parents:

Give too much information.

Tell them about the weird little thing that probably means nothing.

Tell them what is different from your child’s normal.

Ask another question.

Make the appointment.

Go back if something still doesn’t feel right.

You know your child in a way no doctor possibly can from a 15-minute appointment. Those little details can help give them the information they need to see the bigger picture.

🎗️ Possible warning signs of childhood cancer can include:

• An unusual lump, swelling or mass

• Unexplained paleness, bruising or bleeding

• Persistent or unexplained pain

• Limping, weakness or changes in walking

• Frequent headaches, especially with vomiting

• Vision changes or a white glow/reflection in the pupil

• Unexplained or persistent fever

• Unusual tiredness, lethargy or loss of energy

• Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite

• Swollen lymph nodes that persist or continue growing

• Persistent abdominal swelling or pain

• Bone or joint pain

• Changes in balance, coordination or behavior

• Persistent vomiting

• Changes in bathroom habits or urination

• Any persistent or unusual change that simply isn’t normal for YOUR child

Having one of these symptoms does not mean your child has cancer. Most of these symptoms are much more commonly caused by other illnesses or conditions.

But childhood cancer can sometimes begin with symptoms that seem small, ordinary or easy to explain away.

So pay attention.

You are not “talking too much.”
You are giving information.
You are not “overreacting” by asking questions.
You are advocating for your child.

Ian’s story taught me that sometimes the smallest detail can be an incredibly important piece of the puzzle.

🎗️ Know the signs. Know your child. And never be afraid to speak up. 💛

09/22/2026

🎗️ Today is World Marrow Donor Day, and we want to say THANK YOU. Long, but important❤️

Giving your stem cells or bone marrow to help save another person’s life is a kind of generosity that is almost impossible to put into words, especially when so many donors are complete strangers to the person whose life they may save.

Ian did not receive donor stem cells. During his treatment, his own stem cells were collected, planing enough for three separate rescues. He then went through three rounds of incredibly intense high-dose chemotherapy, that ended up killing his bone marrow, followed each time by receiving his own stem cells back to help rebuild his bone marrow.

Because they were his own cells, his body didn’t face as likely of a chance of accepting cells from another person.

But while we were on the Bone Marrow Transplant floor at St. Jude, we met families whose stories were very different.

We watched some incredibly brave little warriors go through transplants using donor stem cells.
And we saw just how complicated that journey can be.

Finding a match is only the beginning. Then comes the transplant. Waiting for the new cells to engraft. Watching counts. Fighting infections. Hoping the body accepts those cells. Worrying about complications like graft-versus-host disease. And waiting, sometimes day after day, for signs that those donated cells are beginning to do what everyone desperately needs them to do: build healthy blood and marrow.

We witnessed the struggles.

We witnessed complications.

We witnessed setbacks and failed treatments.

We witnessed survival.

And, heartbreakingly, we witnessed loss.

So although Ian never needed someone else's stem cells, our family will forever understand the importance of the people who are willing to give them.

Somewhere in this world, a person can choose to donate to someone they have never met, someone's child, parent, sibling, spouse or best friend, and potentially give that person another chance at life.

That is extraordinary. ❤️

Today, we want to say THANK YOU to every stem cell and bone marrow donor. To those who have registered. To those waiting for the call. And especially to those who have received that call and said YES.

You may have been a stranger to the person who needed you.

But to their family, you may forever be part of their story. ❤️

Please use the comments to help us thank these incredible donors—and if a donor has touched your family's life, we'd love for you to share your story. 🎗️

If you're interested follow this link to learn more:

Join the donor registry | NMDP

https://share.google/gXNCNGVI7NWC3phsq

09/21/2026

🎗️🩸 It’s Paint the Town Gold Blood Drive week! 🩸🎗️

So this week, I want to talk about something that is a HUGE part of childhood cancer treatment, but doesn’t always get the attention it deserves:
BLOOD DONORS.

Before Ian had cancer, I knew donating blood was important. But I don’t think I truly understood who was on the other end of that donation.

Sometimes, it’s a child fighting cancer.

Cancer treatment can absolutely destroy a child’s blood counts. Chemotherapy, radiation, transplants and other treatments can leave their bodies unable to make enough healthy red blood cells or platelets on their own.

And that’s where complete strangers step in. ❤️

🩸 Red blood cells help carry oxygen through their little bodies when hemoglobin drops dangerously low.
🩸 Platelets help their blood clot when treatment leaves them at risk for bleeding.
🩸 Plasma and other blood products can also become important pieces of care depending on what that child is going through.

During Ian’s treatment year alone, he received more than 100 blood products, possibly closer to 200.

ONE child. Almost 200 bags!

And Ian is only one childhood cancer patient.
If you’re a cancer family, you already know what those bags hanging from an IV pole can mean.
If you know or love a child who has fought cancer, this is part of their story too.

And if childhood cancer has never personally touched your family, you can still become part of someone else’s story simply because you’re the kind of person who wants to help a stranger you may never meet. 💛

That is one of the most incredible things about blood donation.

You don’t have to know who needs it.
You don’t have to know their diagnosis.
You don’t have to know their family.
You just show up.

Somewhere, a parent may be watching that blood slowly run through an IV line into their child, knowing it is helping them make it through another day of treatment.

And behind that bag is someone who decided to give. 🩸

That’s why we’re asking everyone who can to help us Paint the Town Gold and FILL THE BUS this Saturday! 🎗️

And if you aren't anywhere near Clinton, Illinois, find a blood center near you and donate in honor of a childhood cancer warrior. It doesn’t have to be Ian. Pick a child you know. Donate for every child still fighting. Donate in memory of one who should still be here. Or donate for a complete stranger.

They may never know your name, but your donation can become part of their fight. 💛

ImpactLife - Donor Portal https://share.google/2LQ34guqxXgfQ37dU

09/18/2026

🎗️ Here’s one of the harder truths about childhood cancer research…

When Ian’s very first tumor was removed, I didn’t hesitate when they handed me a form asking if we would donate some of his tumor tissue to research.

At that point, we didn’t even know it was cancer or just how difficult his cancer would be to identify. Much of that original tumor was necrotic, and what remained didn’t neatly fit the testing being performed. His tissue would eventually be reviewed by some of the best institutions in the country: CHOI, St. Jude, Mayo and CHOP, and we still spent an unbelievable amount of time searching for answers.

Then his cancer came back.

And when I was told there was a possibility there could be a tumor in his brain and, overall, things just weren’t looking good, my mind went somewhere no parent should ever have to go.

I knew that if we lost Ian, I wanted to donate everything we possibly could, his tumors, tissue, organs, brain and central nervous system, to research.

That is incredibly difficult for me to even write.

But I remember thinking: If they can't find the answers in time for my child, maybe Ian could help them find the answer for another one.

Even if it only helped one child someday.

That experience completely changed what “cancer research” means to me.

It is also one of the reasons I am such a supporter of St. Jude. The money raised for St. Jude helps support families through an unimaginable journey, but it also supports research. And through their enormous reach, they have helped put childhood cancer in front of people all over the world.

But here is something else I have learned:

St. Jude cannot do it alone. No hospital can.

There are too many different childhood cancers, rare cancers and even rarer subtypes for one institution to have every specialist, every study, every protocol and every answer.

Sometimes one hospital is particularly experienced with your child's cancer. Sometimes another institution has the researcher studying a specific mutation. Sometimes tissue gets sent across the country looking for answers.

And sometimes there simply isn't a hospital that has seen enough children with your child's exact cancer to hand you a proven treatment plan.

That's why I will always say: Support St. Jude. But please don't forget your local children's hospitals either. 💛

Those hospitals are caring for children every single day. They are working with medical universities, specialty hospitals, researchers and national childhood cancer organizations. They're sharing pathology, discussing cases, consulting specialists and learning from one another.

We experienced that firsthand.

Ian wasn't being treated by just one doctor or one hospital.

There was an entire family of people fighting for him, our local oncology team, specialists, pathologists, researchers and hospitals hundreds of miles away, all trying to put another piece into a puzzle that didn't come with an instruction book.

And THAT is why childhood cancer research matters.

Not because of a percentage on a graphic.

Because somewhere tonight, another mom has been waiting for months then finally being told that her child's cancer is rare.

Another doctor is searching the medical literature looking for something that worked before.

Another tumor is being sent somewhere hoping someone recognizes what they're looking at.

And another family is praying that enough research has already been done to give their child an option.

Research is tissue donated by families who desperately wanted answers.

Research is hospitals sharing what they've learned.

Research is doctors refusing to stop looking.

Research is families funding the next discovery.

Research is one child's story becoming knowledge that might save another.

We were willing to give research everything we had, even Ian himself if that horrible day had ever come.

Thankfully, we didn't have to. 💛

But I will never forget being a mother who had already made that decision.

Because every child who comes after ours deserves more answers than the children before them had. 🎗️

09/17/2026

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, but awareness alone isn’t enough.

You do NOT have to have a child with cancer to make a difference. You don’t have to know exactly what to say or have a huge amount of money to give. There are so many ways to help these kids and their families.

💛 Donate. Support organizations funding childhood cancer research. Even small donations add up.

🩸 Give blood. This one will always be especially close to my heart. Kids going through cancer treatment can need blood and platelet transfusions over and over again. A complete stranger’s donation can literally become part of a child’s treatment.
https://login.bloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/152591

📣 Use your voice. Share their stories. Share the statistics. Talk about childhood cancer in October, January, April, not just when everything turns gold in September.

🎗️ Advocate. Pay attention to childhood cancer research, treatment options and survivorship needs. Let our leaders know these kids deserve better treatments and better futures.

💛 Support the families. Bring dinner. Send a gas card. Help with siblings. Check in. And most importantly, keep showing up after the initial diagnosis, when life has gone back to normal for everyone else but never quite went back to normal for them.

And please… keep talking about these kids.

Talk about the ones fighting.

Talk about the survivors.

Talk about the ones we’ve lost.

Talk about the siblings.

Talk about the families whose lives changed forever.

Because awareness isn't the finish line.
It's what we DO with that awareness that matters. 🎗️💛

09/16/2026

🎗️ “He had chemo.”

It sounds like one treatment. But chemo isn't one drug.

Before Ian had cancer, I don't think I realized just how many different chemotherapy drugs existed, or how differently cancer can be treated depending on the exact diagnosis.

There are leukemias, lymphomas, brain/CNS tumors, and many different types of solid tumors. And within those groups are dozens and dozens of individual cancers. The exact type matters because different cancers respond to different drugs.

Then comes the protocol: the treatment plan doctors use to determine which drugs are given together, at what doses, in what order, and for how long.

Some children are treated on well-established protocols. Some may be treated through clinical trials testing new approaches.

And then there are kids like Ian.

Because his cancer was so incredibly rare, there wasn't a nice little roadmap with “Medulloepithelioma Protocol” written across the top. There aren't a high number of children being diagnosed with his type of cancer, so there were no clinical trials.

His doctors had to go digging and use whatever available research, what was known about similar tumors, his response to treatment, and the expertise of multiple institutions to build his treatment plan.

Over the course of Ian's treatment, his cancer-treatment drugs included:

💛 Cyclophosphamide
💛 Etoposide
💛 Vincristine
💛 Cisplatin
💛 Methotrexate
💛 Carboplatin
💛 Thiotepa
💛 Thalidomide
💛 Fenofibrate
💛 Celecoxib

Some were traditional chemotherapy drugs. Others were medications used as part of his anticancer treatment strategy.

And they weren't simply interchangeable medications. Each attacks cancer differently. Some damage DNA. Some prevent cells from dividing. Some interfere with the processes cancer cells need to survive. And sometimes several are combined because attacking cancer in different ways can be more effective.

So when someone says “a child is getting chemo,” there is an entire treatment plan hidden inside those few words.

Different cancer.
Different drugs.
Different combinations.
Different doses.
Different side effects.
Different journey.

🎗️ Childhood Cancer isn't one disease. And chemotherapy isn't one treatment.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The more we understand what these kids actually go through, the better we can advocate for more research, better treatments, and hopefully someday treatments that don't require children to endure quite so much.

💛🎗️

09/14/2026

Before Ian became a master at pokes, these were his lifelines. 🎗️💛

Before childhood cancer, I couldn't have told you the difference between a port, Hickman or PICC line. Now, each one represents a different chapter of Ian's journey.

💛 PORT — This was Ian's first central line. Completely under his skin, it gave his team reliable access for chemo, medications, TPN, blood products and labs without constantly searching for a vein. Since he started off with a crazy chemo roadmap, his port was almost completly accessed for 3 whole months.

💛 DOUBLE-LUMEN HICKMAN — When treatment intensified with high-dose chemo and stem-cell rescues, Ian needed more access. Two lumens allowed his team to give medications, fluids, nutrition, blood and platelets and draw labs, sometimes with a LOT happening at once. This line carried him through some of his hardest days. We had to find ways to support his waterfall of tubes the majority of the time to be able to walk the halls of the hospital.

💛 PICC LINE — This one came after radiation. Treatment was ending, but recovery wasn't. Ian was still battling low blood and platelet counts, complications from radiation, and frequent labs and monitoring. Reliable access was still incredibly important.

And finally...

💛 NO MORE CENTRAL LINE.

Which meant something he hadn't needed nearly as often before, POKES. Blood draws, IVs, labs... and this kid has officially become a MASTER at them. 💪😂

A port.
A Hickman.
A PICC.
And now, just Ian. 💛

Childhood cancer is so much more than “getting chemo.” These are the little pieces of the journey we share because awareness is education.

🎗️ Go Gold.

09/11/2026

🎗️ Childhood Cancer Awareness Month — For the Siblings

When a child gets cancer, their siblings go on the journey too.

Katelyn and Evie were still just kids when their little brother got sick, but suddenly their world included hospitals, scans, chemo, radiation, transplants and long stretches of having part of our family away. They watched Ian lose his hair, get incredibly sick and fight his way back. They learned to adjust when plans changed and understand when Ian needed more of Mom and Dad.

But this journey has also taken them places and introduced them to people we never imagined. They've traveled from Peoria to Memphis, walked countless hospital halls, met incredible doctors, nurses, cancer families, blood donors and some pretty amazing people along the way. They've attended blood drives and awareness events and watched Ian's story become a way to help others.
There have been some really cool experiences, but we never forget why they were there in the first place.

They weren't the ones receiving chemo or lying in the hospital bed, but childhood cancer happened to Katelyn and Evie, too.

They worried. They waited. They sacrificed. They adjusted. And through it all, they have loved and supported their little brother fiercely. 💛

This month, we GO GOLD for Ian, but we also go gold for Katelyn and Evie and every sibling standing beside a childhood cancer warrior.

Same fight. Different role. Just as brave. 🎗️💛

Don't forget to spread awareness and donate blood:
https://login.bloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/152591

09/10/2026

Yesterday was a day our family will never forget! 🧡🩸

We had the opportunity to attend Abbott Big Ten Network We Give Blood Drive at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Veternary of Medicine and be part of the Illini stop of this incredible campaign.

And guys… guess who was there?!?!

Josh and Jase — THE BRITISH GUYS!! 🇬🇧😂

We were already SO excited when we were asked to be part of the Illini drive, but when we found out Josh and Jase would be there too, the excitement went to a whole different level!

We decided to make it a family day so the kids could experience the University of Illinois campus and see some of Dad’s old stomping grounds. Lots of memories were made. 🧡💙

And of course, it’s always great seeing the ImpactLife crew! They do such an amazing job with these blood drives and make donating feel so easy and welcoming.

We were even interviewed by the U of I Student Newsroom.

Ian was completely in his element. 😂 He got to show off some of his cool moves, was VERY excited to meet “famous YouTubers,” and was quite relieved to discover that he could, in fact, understand Josh and Jase’s British accents. 😂

But what meant the most to me was how wonderful Josh and Jase were with Ian. They were genuinely excited to be there, incredibly kind and caring, and truly interested in hearing Ian’s story and learning more about childhood cancer and just how important blood products are to kids like him. 🧡

A huge thank you to Chad Sabin and ImpactLife for asking our family to be a part of such a special day.

Experiences like yesterday remind me all over again why we keep sharing Ian’s story. Blood drives matter. Blood donors matter. And bringing awareness to the incredible need for blood products, especially for children fighting cancer, matters.

Ian received more than 100 blood products during his treatment. Every single one came from someone who took the time to donate.

Yesterday was fun, exciting and full of memories, but most importantly, it gave us another opportunity to turn Ian’s journey into awareness and hopefully inspire someone else to roll up their sleeve. 🩸🧡

Go Illini! And GO GIVE BLOOD! 🧡💙

Here is Ian’s next Blood Drive part of thr Paint the Town Gold Childhood Cancer Awarness Month.

https://login.bloodcenter.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/152591

Ian the Cancer Wrangler

09/30/2026

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09/22/2026

09/21/2026

09/18/2026

09/17/2026

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