Aiden's Army

MEDICAL LAKE — It was July when little Aiden began acting out of character. He had a persistent low-grade fever, had started taking naps again, had even regressed from being potty trained to requiring diapers. He lost his appetite.

His parents, Heather and Ryan Thomas, took Aiden to urgent care several times before finally taking him for a regular doctor’s checkup on Sept. 23.

The doctor checked his lymph nodes, and then ordered a blood test.

“I think the doctor had a feeling what was going on,” Heather said.

The doctor’s office called when the Thomas’s were on their way home, ordering them to take Aiden to the emergency room immediately because his blood count was “very low,” Heather recalled.

When they arrived, the family was ushered directly to a room ahead of other waiting patients. More tests were ordered, and an IV started on Aiden.

“Just in case,” Heather recalled. “Just in case of what?”

When the blood work results came back the doctor informed the Thomas’s that Aiden had acute lymphocytic leukemia. Also called acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, it is a type of cancer found in the blood and bone marrow.

Aiden was admitted to the hospital and received his first blood transfusion, along with blood platelets.

Heather and Ryan waited four days for the dust to settle and test results to be confirmed before informing their other three boys, ages nine, 12 and 15.

The two older brothers were “really upset,” while their nine-year-old wasn’t old enough to understand the implications of his younger brothers illness.

Aiden’s parents rallied the troops.

“Even on his bad days we have to be strong for him,” they told them.

It’s been a day-by-day effort. The first phase of Aiden’s treatment involved a type of chemotherapy involving steroids that was delivered via a port in his chest. Treatments will continue for two and a half years, according to Ryan.

The steroid treatments caused little Aiden to become very angry.

“They make you rage,” Heather said. “They said the steroids would be the hardest part. It sure the hell is.”

Aiden became very hungry, eating all day and staying up at all hours of the night to eat. He acted up, throwing things off counters, telling his parents that he hated them and didn’t love them.

“It was very hard and very rough,” Heather said.

The steroid treatments also caused Aiden to become diabetic; his blood glucose levels had to be monitored regularly and at every meal, plus at bedtime and once in the middle of the night. He received a daily insulin shot.

“You wake him up at two in the morning and a kid on steroids wants to eat because he’s hungry,” Heather said.

Today, Aiden is off the steroids and entering the second phase of his treatment: weekly spinal taps.

He and his parents must travel to a Spokane clinic once per week for a month, where Aiden receives a general anesthetic before doctors conduct a spinal tap directly into his spine via a needle.

The most difficult part is not allowing him to eat before the 7 a.m. procedure.

But there is good news: a bone marrow test last week came back disease free, Heather said. More comprehensive tests were to be conducted this week.

While Aiden has received numerous blood transfusions and blood platelet treatments, it remains unclear what, if any, steps remain in his treatment, Heather said.

“Were doing this step-by-step,” she said.

One thing is certain: Aiden won’t require a blood or bone marrow transplant.

And that was the prognosis for family friend Sara O’Donnell, who’s own son endured his own battle with a brain tumor. Like Aiden, O’Donnell’s son was also spared any transplant procedures or stem cell treatments.

But Aiden’s illness touched her heart.

“Once you join this oncology family, you’re suddenly very much aware of all the people who do need it,” O’Donnell said, adding with a sad sort of chuckle. “It’s quite the journey.”

Because of that journey, and Aiden’s current struggle, O’Donnell decided to sponsor a rally Friday – Saturday, Nov. 1 – 2, to sign people up for “Be the Match,” at St. John’s Lutheran Church at 223 S. Hallett Street in Medical Lake.

“When I found out that Heather and Ryan where in a similar situation it seemed like an even better reason to get the community behind everybody and get as many people on the registry as we can,” O’Donnell said.

She noted that, while neither her son nor Aiden ultimately avoided the need a transplant, “there are a whole lot of families out there who do.”

Be the Match is a national bone marrow donor registry program that matches a prospective donors blood type with those diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.

For more information on Be the Match go to http://www.bethematch.org.

Donations to help support Aiden and his parents can be made to their Facebook page under “Aiden Thomas’ Army,” or to directly to their account at the Washington State Employees Credit Union in Medical Lake under Ryan and Heather Thomas.

Lee Hughes can be reached at [email protected].