November 10th is supposed to be a good day and should be a day to remember. The day started in celebration and ended in absolute chaos, confusion and uncertainty. Joey (oil portrait on left at age 18) has been on battlefield with Nick fighting cancer since the day it all started. He is Nick’s older brother and best friend. When I speak of time on the battlefield, I mean it. Joey was there when Nick had his eye removed (cancer #1) and cared for him as much as a 4 year older brother could comprehend. He was always visiting Nick early in the morning (cancer #2), swinging by Happy Donuts after the hospital visit on the way to school and spending countless hours with Nick following cancer #3.
We were concerned about a abscess in Nick’s mouth that had been noticed a few weeks earlier by his orthodontist. Abscess is a big word but generally can mean redness, swelling or bump (caused by a variety of factors). Tammy took Nick to see Dr. Jack Koumjian (dentist) for a check up. The short visit quickly landed them at at the office of an oral surgeon and then at Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital for scans. Since Nick had braces on, the scans were inconclusive and they needed to be removed for a re-scan that took place a few days later. The scans showed what later turned out to be cancer #4: osteosarcoma (bone cancer that was likely caused by radiation used to kill the previous cancers).
November 10th is Joey’s birthday.