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I was 14 when I met the love of my life, Pete Rodriguez, who was 18. Peter felt he was too old for me, but when I turned 18, he felt different. We were close friends and, as time grew, feelings changed. We lived together for a year, before deciding to get married and start a family.

Soon after, we made the decision to have a child. We found ourselves seeing a doctor whom specialized in (In vitro fertilization) IVF births. Previously, I had miscarried because of a tubal pregnancy. IVF worked on the first try.

 On March 27, 2000, Peter David Rodriguez Junior was born at 5lbs. 4 oz. and 19in. long. At the moment of PJ’s, (Peter Junior) entrance to our world, the room was filled with such love and beautiful feelings that we were all sensitive to each others emotions and reactions. 

At 7 months, PJ skipped crawling and went straight to walking. By the time he hit 9 months, you could not keep up with him. PJ was a healthy child, except for an occasional ear infection and fever after vaccinations.

A couple of months before PJ’s second birthday, Pete and I noticed bruising on PJ and he started loosing his balance. PJ wanted to be carried more often which was very unusual for him. I took PJ to the pediatrician at 20 months; they questioned me if anyone was hitting him. They did an anemic test from the same finger 3 times. The test came back inconclusive all 3

times. I was scared, had no clue what to do. I left the doctors office, went home, and took an absence from work. I began to watch everyone very closely around PJ, including his father. I loved Peter and never thought he would hit his child, but you always hear about child abuse being in the family. 

A week before PJ’s 2^nd birthday, Peter asked me about his 2 year check up. It’s ironic, because Peter never worried about PJ’s doctors appointments before. I tried for a while to dodge the question, because I was scared to take him back to the doctors. Peter then got the truth out of me. Peter was passive man and he never got angry at me, but he was furious then. He told me to make the appointment and he would take PJ.

So, on PJ’s birthday, Peter took PJ in to see his Pediatrician. He told the pediatrician there was no one hitting our son and, that I had been a nervous wreck wondering why this has been going on. The doctor did blood tests that showed PJ was anemic and told Peter to take him to Arnold Palmer Hospital for a more extensive blood test.

Peter called home and had me cancel the birthday party for PJ. I had 20 minutes to call and cancel the pizza, tell the kids to go home, and pack a bag. We arrived at the hospital within 30 minutes of Peter’s call. They immediately took blood tests of PJ and got the results within 33 minutes. It has to be a world record, but to me this was a sign that there was something wrong. Dr. Giusti and an intern came and met with us. They found PJ had acute lymphoblast leukemia (ALL). That night PJ was admitted into the hospital.

The next day, PJ went into surgery for a central line (port) to help administer medicine. On Easter Sunday, PJ started Chemotherapy. Which lead to 17 day stay at the hospital. They started him into the induction phrase of his treatment, which included: steroids and blood transfusions.

Then PJ was released and went home for a 4 days. Shortly thereafter, PJ was readmitted for another 28 days for: a port infection and chemotherapy. I was not able to see my son for the first week because I had gotten pneumonia. Peter had to stay with PJ and his job laid him off because he was unable to leave his son. PJ was in chemotherapy treatment 3 ½ years. Because of the extensive chemotherapy, PJ has been affected academically. For example, PJ should be in 2^nd grade, but, he can barely finish kindergarten work.

• he can’t tie his shoes or hold a pencil correctly.
• He didn’t not start speaking fully until he was 4
• He is still has to wear overnights when he goes to bed.
• I have to repeat directions to PJ 7-8 times.

medical effects from Chemo:

• hearing loss
• absent seizures
• possibility of infertility
• a greater risk in getting any type of cancer
• a greater chance of relapsing. 

The hardest thing, as a mother of child with a life-threatening illness, is: wanting to give them every possible chance because they maybe gone tomorrow. But, I truly believe, in my heart, that PJ will grow up to be something great. So, as a parent, how do I raise a child to grow up and have all the moral values, be grateful for life, and become a well rounded adult?  It’s a struggle parents, like me, face.  

PJ has been off treatment since he was 5 years old and will be considered cured at 10 years old, if he does not relapse during that time. If PJ has a relapse, it would be difficult to find a bone marrow donor, because is PJ bi-racial. More bi-racial minorities need to become bone marrow donors.  

PJ’s father also passed away in August of 2006 at the age of 31. Due to this, PJ has been suffering with depression, wetting himself, and has trouble expressing his feelings with me. I am afraid that the loss of his father could cause him to relapse. I know its crazy to say, but its proven that if you keep any ill person happy and active, they have a better chance of survival.

Today, PJ attends Avalon school for children with learning disabilities and delays, where he also receives extra tutoring. He plays football for the Pop Warner Tiny Mites on the HAWK team. In the past, PJ has played basketball, soccer, golf, and done gymnastics. Sports seem to give PJ the most joy, making him feel more like a normal kid. As a parent, I always try to make sure PJ will get once in a lifetime opportunities, because I never know what tomorrow will bring. Please remember life is short, you never know when it will end. I want to extend a special thank you for taking the time to read about PJ and the other stories on our pages. Please consider becoming a bone marrow donor today.

National Bone marrow Donor registry

http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Join_the_Donor_Registry/index.html