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At age 13, Madison shares an interest in a lot of the things typical of a teenage girl – friends, designer jeans and shopping, to name a few. But she’s also interested in pediatric hematology, the science of oncology and medicine in general.
Madison’s somewhat unique interests stem from her diagnosis of T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia at the age of 11. “I think she looks at things differently because of the cancer,” says Tammy, Madison’s mom. “She really had to grow up quickly and face things that other kids her age weren’t facing. She’s always been a caring person, but now she cares about people more deeply and looks at things more maturely.”
Madison’s treatment was a 2 ½-year process, and her mother says she’s glad now that none of them knew exactly what they were facing when it began. “We had no idea what was in store for us,” she says. “The doctors would give us a calendar for the month with all of our appointments, and that was overwhelming in itself.” |
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Madison, her mom, her dad, Tony, and often her 10-year-old brother, Alex, traveled from their hometown of Mooresville, NC, to Charlotte, NC, everyday for the first couple of months after her diagnosis – a 70-mile round trip. And she spent eight full weeks in the hospital in 2007. “It was hard for our family and we are very grateful for the help the N.C.C.S. gave us with gas money and money for food at the hospital,” Tammy says.
Tammy says she’s also thankful for the friends who visited their family during these trying times. “One of the ways we coped and helped our son cope was to schedule time for friends to visit often,” she says. “It helped just having them around to get your mind off of yourself.”
In the midst of Madison’s treatment, Tammy became pregnant unexpectedly with her third child, and Charlee (named by Madison) was born in December 2007. “Having another baby was the furthest thing from our minds at that time, but she was such a blessing,” Tammy says. “We think she was God’s way of letting us know that everything was going to be okay.”
These days, Madison enjoys Girl Scouts, babysitting, shopping at her favorite stores and spending time at home with her family. “She’s more of a home body now than she was before she got sick. She’s not as anxious to always be on the go, but instead enjoys her quiet time at home with us,” Tammy says.
Madison’s cancer is in remission she has decided that she wants to be a pediatric hematology oncologist as a result of her experience. She tells her family that she believes that God will use her episode with cancer to His glory, which is why she wants to be a doctor.
Because Madison is home-schooled and because she is so serious about her career plans, her mother is already providing her with education in the sciences that she’ll need to enter a college program that would lead to medical school. “We look forward to the day when she can help other children who are going through the things that she has had to go through, and we believe this is what God has called her to do,” Tammy says.
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