9/9 - Chaseman

Tillery’s dad and Chase’s dad go way back to college days. They were in each other’s weddings and have supported each other through many milestones of life. When Tillery was diagnosed in September 2014, the Busbys reached out with support for our family. They shared our story with others, sent their love, and sent their prayers. They never would have imagined that a year later, we would be doing those same things for them.

Joe got the call from Chris as Chase was being transferred from their local hospital ER to the nearest children’s hospital for more testing. Chase had been sick over the weekend and when he was taken to the ER, blood tests revealed that there was a problem. It could have been many of a long list of things, the scariest of those being leukemia. Most of the time, you try not to focus on the worst-case scenario and try to focus on more likely options. For the Busby family, the worst-case scenario became their reality a few days later when it was confirmed that Chase had acute lymphocytic leukemia, the most common type of childhood cancer.

The protocol for ALL involves 3 years of treatment, even though most kids are considered “in remission” after a month on chemo. Because these kids like Chase go into remission so quickly, people can forget that their family is still going through a lot. Clinic visits continue, chemo continues, spinal taps continue, blood draws continue, ER trips continue, fear continues. Even with the most common type of childhood cancer with the highest survival rates, families still experience a loss of the life they once knew as their kids experience heavy chemotherapy and many drugs in order to “look normal”.

Today, Chase is back to feeling good and playing hard. His 2 big sisters, Gracie Jane and Lily, are his biggest cheerleaders and always visit the hospital with big smiles of support for their brother. The Busbys work hard to raise awareness and funds in their hometown of St. Simons Island, GA, where they are partnered with other families to do big events that bring the community together against childhood cancer. If you are in the area, join them for Red Fern Goes Gold on September 30 - https://www.facebook.com/events/291474211324254/?acontext=%7B%22action_history%22%3A%22[%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22page%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22page_upcoming_events_card%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A[]%7D]%22%2C%22has_source%22%3Atrue%7D.

#teamchaseman #redferngoesgold #tilleryisloved #TILfoundation #alexsmillionmile #GoGold2017

To support childhood cancer research in honor of kids like Chase, make a donation to our team (TIL Foundation) with Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. https://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1314958