‘Terrifying, heartbreaking, faith, triumphant journey’

Grenetha Baldwin works at KCPT. When her son was just a toddler, he was diagnosed with neuorblastoma.

“When Alex was diagnosed we were in shock, We had never known a child with cancer or a family that had been there, and because his cancer was rare at that time, it made it even more difficult. The doctors would not even discuss chances of survival in his case. We were horrified. I took off work to deal with the demanding schedule of appointments, hospital stays and treatments. We were literally fighting for his life with everything we had.

“From my point of view, there is no making this journey easier, especially for a family with a child diagnosed with cancer. It is a Family Journey: Every appointment and every decision that is made for care affects not only the child but every person in the family. Sometimes these decisions are extremely difficult.

“Cancer changed our lives in many ways. We, as a family, became different people. We became advocates for other families and peer partners to help others through the initial process of finding out your child has cancer. We now work with a parent-to-parent group through the hospital to help bring some comfort, information and hope to others who have faced getting a cancer diagnosis. Our Son, Alex, survived at a time when many did not, and has thrived through much grace, the support of family, friends, faith and the medical family that never gave up on the little boy who no one knew would (survive and thrive), and we are eternally grateful for the gift of life after cancer. He has been cancer-free for 22 years and will turn 26 in July.”

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Grenetha’s six words to describe her cancer experience are “Terrifying, heartbreaking, faith, triumphant journey.” Share your six words here.

Grenetha’s words, which were shared digitally through Tell KC, have been lightly edited for clarity.

As part of a local reporting project around the upcoming Ken Burns documentary series, Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, KCPT presents Cancer in KC.

We want to learn more about how cancer affects our community. How has cancer impacted your life? Share your story.