A light from the darkness

Sep. 23--September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and unfortunately far too many parents will be given the grim news that their child has cancer. According to the advocacy group Children's Cancer Cause, 46 children per day -- or 16,850 children per year -- will be diagnosed with one of the 12 major types of Pediatric Cancer. It is the No. 1 cause of death by disease among children, with 100,000 children worldwide losing the fight.

Compared to the hundreds of drugs developed to combat cancer in adults, since 1980 only four drugs have been approved in the first instance for use in children. Some cancers act more quickly and are more lethal than others, but every cancer is an all-out battle for the child's life. Some, such as diffuse pontine glioma (DIPG) is normally terminal, with only 25% surviving even two years, Children's Cancer Cause reported. And more than 95% of survivors will experience significant health issues later in life, either from the cancer itself or the treatment. But the human spirit is strong, and brave young people and determined parents prove that there is hope.

"You just don't think about it," Sammie Copley of Worthington said. "Jamez was the one that almost never got sick. I had taken Athena (his sister) to the doctor for a chest cold and thought that he had the same thing. We expected the doctor to give him a prescription and send him home. The next thing we knew, he was in a fight for his life," Copley said in 2012.

Jamez was three years old when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. Lymphoma is the most common type of blood cancer, and manifests in either Hodgkin's Lymphoma or Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Lymphoma refers to the abnormal growth of a type of white blood cell known as lymphocytes. There are two main types of lymphocytes that can develop into lymphomas: B-lymphocytes (B-cells) and T-lymphocytes (T-cells). T-cell lymphomas develop from abnormal T-lymphocytes and account for 15% of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma cases in the United States.

After the diagnosis, Jamez and his family began a long and exhausting process of treatment. They spent two months in treatment at Cabell Huntington Hospital after which he was transferred to Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Ohio for an additional four months. During this time, his family virtually lived in the hospital as well and endured the stress and related issues of not being able to go home for six months. They endured, but Jamez persevered.

"Jamez dealt with it all better than anyone," Copley said with a laugh. "He felt bad, but he was really upbeat. He was always asking the nurses and doctors what they had been doing and trying to get them to play games with him."

Two years after his initial diagnosis, Jamez took his last chemotherapy treatment and was diagnosed as being in remission. He still had a medical port in his chest and went to see his doctor on a monthly basis to be checked for any complications such as pneumonia. But his young life had been put back on track due to the medical treatments, the dedication of his parents, and of course his own positive attitude. There were some changes in how they went about their lives, however, his mother said.

"It changes everything about your life," Copley said. "You start paying attention to things like diet and exercise, where before you just took everything like health for granted. People don't talk about cancer in children much," she added.

"But 46 children are diagnosed with cancer every day, and seven children die every day from it. There are two other kids in Jamez' school that have cancer. We need more research, more prevention," Copley said. "Don't ignore anything, and have your children checked regularly."

"A little girl came up to Jamez at school and asked him if he was the kid with cancer," Copley said. "Jamez smiled, and said 'I used to be, but I got better.'"

Hopefully, every child will be able to say that one day ... or, better, no child will ever have to ask another child that question.

In September of 2020, Jamez is living his fullest life, an example of hope to children and parents everywhere that cancer can be beaten. "He just had his echocardiograph," Copley said. "And everything came back perfect."

Copley said that given his very young age, Jamez doesn't remember a lot of what he went through. But at the same time, it fascinates him, and he has done a lot of research about childhood cancer.

"He's kind of a bookworm and he loves everything to do with science and medicine," she said proudly. "He goes back and forth between wanting to be a scientist and wanting to be a doctor. But he definitely wants to be involved in something to do with medicine."

"He wants to make a change, and he wants to help people," Copley said. "And he will, because he is super smart. He made all A's last year except for one B. He was a little upset by that, but I just told him to try harder and do better next time."

Copley said she is grateful for everything that was done to help her son overcome cancer but said that his good grades have eliminated one fear in her mind.

"We were a little concerned, because one of the treatments had learning disability as a potential side effect," she said. "Thankfully, he doesn't have that side effect, but when he was 3 and 4 taking those treatments, we were worried."

Jamez attends Raceland school district, is now 13 years old, and will be 14 in December. Copley said he is happy and healthy, something for which she is grateful every single day.

"When he was going through the treatments, I just focused on that completely," she said. "I knew there was the possibility that things could go really badly, but I refused to think about it and just focused on him getting better. It was on the day that he took his last chemo treatment that I broke down and let myself cry. But until it was over, I only thought about him. That's how you get through it."

"You have to keep pushing forward and appreciate every second you have with them," Copley said.

The experience, she said, made her not only love her children more, but also appreciate them more and never take them for granted. And Jamez, who is the only boy in a home filled with girls, is what Copley calls her "saving grace."

"He's always the calm one," she said. "When the girls go crazy, he just tells me 'It's OK, Mom. I've got this,' and he calms them down. He really is an amazing boy."

Now, Copley said, Jamez does everything he can to help anyone who needs help. "He's my right-hand man, and he's a really good kid."

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