This interview went in a completely different direction than I thought it would. Actually I really didn't know what to expect, but I am sure it wasn't what George and his mother Katherine ended up sharing with me. Not sure why, at this point in the campaign (only DAYS to go people!!), I would be surprised at the good of people outshining the black cloud of cancer? That is what we have learned about from each of our other interviewees, and really the basic reason I signed on to this campaign, to make my silver lining brighter! And in this interview, we see how through JOY cancer doesn't stand a chance!
George Gring is an 8 year old boy. His mother, Katherine, is one of my Team Awesome members, and truly one of my oldest friends! About 2 1/2 years ago, George was diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma, and is now, thank God, in remission. I knew when I came up with the idea for the blog that I wanted him to be one of the people I interviewed. I mean, to be perfectly honest, it's a great story, and one that for sure would tug at your pocketbooks to support this very worthy cause I am campaigning so hard for! So that's what I set to find out about. I wanted to hear about how scared he was, how hard it was for him and his family, how sick he felt, how much of an outsider he felt from his peers, but that he's okay now. That's what makes a great story, am I right?
But that's not the way this interview went. George had something else in mind, and as much as Katherine and I tried to lead him into saying what we thought we wanted him to say, that was just not what George was there to teach us that day. So here's how it went...
(We started with the basics, what's your name, how old are you, where do you go to school, do you know how I know you - but we've already touched on much of that, so we'll skip to the "real" questions)
Katie: Do you remember when you got sick?
George: No
Katie: No?
Katherine: You remember when you were sick.
George: No
Katherine: Not at all? She means, do you remember when you got sick and had to go to the hospital and spend time in the hospital?
George: Oh - Daddy found a bump in my stomach, and I had to go in an ambulance.
Katie: Do you remember how you felt when you first were sick with that bump in your belly?
George: I didn't feel it.
Katherine: You didn't feel great though. Remember your tummy hurt a little bit?
Playing Football in the yard with his dad and brother
So Katherine explained that George was having issues with an upset stomach starting at or near the beginning of his kindergarten year. Katherine kind of chalked it up to nerves surrounding the start of a new school etc, but the pain was persistent. Nothing would really come of it, he was just complaining of pain. They went to their doctor and decided it might be a lactose intolerance and they took him off milk and it seemed to help some. But then at the beginning of December his father, Clayton, and George were out playing football. Clayton felt a large lump which turned out to be a tumor the size of a grapefruit surrounding his small intestine. Within hours he was headed to the hospital and over the next couple of days they removed the tumor and began chemotherapy.
Katie: Where were you in the hospital?
George: I was in Texas Children's Hospital.
Katie: Do you remember what you had? What was it called?
George: Cancer
Katie: Do you remember what kind it was?
George: No
Katherine: You don't remember what it was called?
George: Lymphoma?
Katie: Lymphoma, yes.
Katherine: Burkitt Lymphoma
Burkitt Lymphoma is a type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma that develops from B cells. It is one of the fastest growing Lymphomas which is good because it makes it more likely to be cured by treatment. It can affect both adults and children, and is 1/3 of all Lymphoma's that are diagnosed in children. Men and boys are also more likely to get Burkitt Lymphoma. If caught and treated with intense intravenous chemotherapy the long term survival rate in children is around 90%!
Katie: Do you remember wondering what was going on or were you scared to have to go to the hospital?
George: I can't remember.
Katherine: I'm sorry. Do you remember when they had to take your blood?
George: I think I do, yes.
Katherine: Remember you never liked them to access your port. You had to watch the iPad to get through it?
George: Yeah.
I mean, geez, leave the poor kid alone! But now he gets talking a little bit...
Katie: Do you remember how your friends were during this time? Were they helpful?
George: They sent me a Christmas Tree. (what I really wish you could see was the smile on his face!)
Katie: They sent you a Christmas Tree?
George: Yes, it had stars on it from all of my classmates. And I also got a go cart.
Katie: A go cart in the hospital? From who?
George: Santa Claus
Katie: Wow! Santa came to your hospital room? He knows how to find you no matter what, right?
George: Yep!
Katie: Wow, Santa in the hospital and a Christmas Tree from your friends. I bet that made you feel really good, didn't it?
George: Yes!
We went on to discuss his treatment regimen which started with 2 rounds of chemo and a total of 18 days in the hospital. From there they would return every 3 weeks for another round, with 5 rounds total. He also underwent another surgery to check what they thought was a "hot spot" but was just scar tissue. He was in remission by his birthday on March 4th. George had to be reminded of all this along the way of our interview. We reminded him about the PET and CAT scans he had to have, why he had to go back to the hospital because he "just" had a fever, and how he had to stop school and get a tutor. Not once did he bring up about how scared he was, how much pain he was in or how sick he felt, although I know all of those things were very much a part of their journey at the time. I know Katherine VERY much remembers all of this. (And did I mention that George has a little brother, Wade, who was also needing to be cared for and at 3 years old was probably so confused about where his brother, mom and dad were all of the time?) You should have heard how hard we tried though, to get George to recount and elaborate on this part. Its almost painful to listen to it again, but we thought we knew what we wanted him to say!
Here is a fabulous video made by TCH which highlights the Gring's experience at this world class hospital.
George and his team of doctors
Some of the wonderful nurses at TCH that treated George
And then we got to his favorite part:
Katie: I hear you have a really super famous friend?
George: It's not just one friend, it's a team.
Katie: A whole team? Tell me about that super famous team.
George: They're called the Panthers, and the person I know best is Cam Newton.
Katie: You know Cam Newton??
George: Yes!
Katie: Oh my gosh! Patrick (my son) is going to be so jealous!
George: Because I got sick, I got to make a wish, and I wished to meet the Panthers.
George walking on to the field with Cam Newton
For those unfamiliar, the Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit which arranges experiences described as "wishes" for children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses. Every 37 minutes a sick child's wish is granted in the United States! This is a special organization that brings so much joy and happiness to the children and families of those facing these scary diseases. They bring the JOY back into these families' lives. Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation George, and the whole family, got to travel to North Carolina to be a Panther for a day right along side of Cam Newton and enjoy all of the spoils that come with that. It was an incredible day for everyone involved and they have remained close with the team and continue to visit them every season. Much to his mother's surprise, he plans to see "like 3 or 4" games this fall! HA! George and his wish was even featured on ESPN's My Wish series! What an amazing gift this wish was for him - I mean you can't tell me you made it to when Cam is putting on those gold shoes without crying. So special!
Carolina Panther's official program
While that is an exceptional experience, so many people had a hand in making their fight against Lymphoma joyful for George. You heard it from him; it was his friends and teachers at school, his doctors and nurses, even down to the people who designed the hospital to make it comfortable and fun for those patients (ok - that's a shameless plug because that's what I used to do - but it does make a difference! ;) ). We didn't even touch on the Mighty George team that Katherine and Clayton's friends set up who rallied around this family to offer food, activities and distractions for George's brother Wade, made t-shirts and bracelets, and hosted the most fun family party at Sky High to show their support! I am hear to tell you, it takes a village and our village is good!
Mom, dad and me sporting our Mighty George bracelets while mom was getting a round of chemo!
So there you have it friends! George taught me my own lesson today! I felt like God worked through the stubbornness of this healthy 8 year old boy who was not willing to participate in the interview I thought I wanted. It was like He was saying, "Hey Katie! Your missing your own point!" with every short answer or "I don't know" that George gave me. It wasn't until we started talking about all of the good that he opened up, and I opened my eyes. Cancer can NOT beat the good of people. We will always rise above and be stronger! It can not take our JOY!
George and me after I interviewed him...he's still smiling!
So WOW! The Finale is this Friday night! The campaign is almost over! We have fought so hard and raised so much money! There is still time to raise more though! If you have not donated yet please do so by clicking over to my donation page. I am overcome by gratitude, and humbled by your support every day. Not just through your donations, but through your kind words of encouragement and praise, and your own stories of struggle with blood cancers and how you overcame them. These have lifted me up and kept me going in this campaign, and I thank you for that (because I have needed it for sure at times!!). Keep fighting for the JOY friends! xo
Couldn't forget about when the Harlem Globetrotters visited George! So cool!