40-40-40 ... Day 6: BuckeyeThon
Time for another guest blog! This one comes from my friend Jeff Laycock, who I went to high school with. When my nieces were born and spent time in the NICU, Jeff reached out to me to assure me that even though it was scary to see them so tiny, with IVs in their heads and tubes up their noses keeping them alive, it was also the safest, best place for them to be. He knew, because he had just been through it with his son, Hayden. Who has to be the cutest spokesperson for Nationwide Children's Hospital, BuckeyeThon, and ending Pediatric Cancer that I have ever seen. Here's their story:
BUCKEYETHON
Three long days passed between our visit with the OB and the follow-up with the specialist. Not only did the specialist confirm the original diagnosis, she delivered more devastating news: our little boy had little chance of survival and recommended my wife abort the pregnancy or prepare for a miscarriage or still-birth. We were at a loss for words. We both returned to work in shock at the thought of losing our son that we had tried very hard to conceive. Bri wasn’t going to give up so easily, though, and thankfully, neither was her OB.
He balked at the thought of giving up and directed us to a friend of his that specialized in high-risk pregnancies. He took us on and for 10 weeks, Bri endured harsh medications in order to keep the baby’s heart rate as high as possible, twice weekly echocardiograms to track changes in his little heart, and constant bedrest outside of those visits. Each visit Bri would hear the same thing, that they were doing all they could but the stress of having to work so hard could cause his heart to fail at any time, so we shouldn’t get our hopes up.
As the weeks passed, the doctors began to prepare us for what was needed should we make it to 36 weeks gestation, their goal. We met a cardiologist who would implant a pacemaker as soon as possible after birth to control the heartbeat of our son. His goal was to have our little boy weigh above 4.5 pounds, and the longer he was inside Bri, the better chance he had to achieve that weight.
Bri went to one of her bi-weekly visits on July 3, 2007, where the doctors didn’t seem too pleased with what they were seeing. They asked us to come back in the morning, July 4, just so they could track things a little more closely. We entered what felt like an uninhabited wing at the hospital, all but essential personnel out for the holiday. They went through the normal routine without a lot being said, but then excused themselves for a few minutes. Bri could already tell what was going on, but I was caught off guard when the doctors returned to the room to tell us they were going to be prepping shortly for an emergency C-section. Bri had just hit 31 weeks. Most of what happened next was a blur, but what I do know is that our son, Hayden Josiah, weighing in at a meager 3 pounds 7 ounces, was soon born.
Once they had Hayden stabilized, they brought him in to see Bri and I for a brief moment before they transported him to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. There was no sniffing him or holding him, just a quick touch before whisking him away. Bri had me leave her behind and to follow him to the hospital where he would be admitted to the NICU. It was crushing for both of us -- me to leave her, and her not being able to follow her little angel. She snuck out within 36 hours and was discharged the next day because nothing was going to keep her away from him any longer.
At Nationwide, Hayden was on medication to keep his heart rate up, but it was sitting in the low 60s and not improving. The doctors decided that he needed to have the pacemaker implanted as soon as possible and scheduled it for July 8. He was four days old and his weight had dropped to 2 pounds 15 ounces, just over half of what the surgeon had hoped it would be for surgery. Thankfully, the surgery was a success and Hayden spent the next 38 days in the hospital recovering, gaining weight and strength so that he could be sent home.
When Hayden was 18 months old it was discovered that his pacemaker was malfunctioning and replacement surgery was scheduled for early January 2010. Despite some complications, Hayden only spent three days in the hospital after this surgery and recovered well at home. We were used to spending time at home as we were extremely cautious about getting him out where he could pick up a life-threatening illness for his immature immune system. However, during a follow-up visit for his replacement surgery, the doctors mentioned that they thought we could begin to get out more since it seemed his immune system was getting stronger. So, how fortuitous was it, that only a few days later, we received a call from a Nationwide Children’s Hospital administrator asking if we would like to get involved with a little-known charity group at The Ohio State University called BuckeyeThon.
What we didn’t know when we accepted the invitation to attend a dance marathon on campus at OSU was how much it would shape the rest of our lives. When BuckeyeThon was first founded in 2001, it was simply trying to raise money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital. We were invited, along with several other families who had children that had been treated at the hospital, with the hopes that the kids would inspire the dancers (who were just as much an inspiration to us!) to work harder to raise money. It worked, and soon BuckeyeThon was raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the hospital each year. Their focus soon narrowed to pediatric cancer research, but they were already hooked on Hayden as much as we were hooked on them. Hayden had developed friendships with the other kids, many of them cancer patients. It only seemed natural to raise money so others wouldn’t have to go through what they had.
As BuckeyeThon grew, more activities were staged to increase awareness and student involvement. Things like student fairs, picnics, hayrides, game nights -- all focusing on Hayden and the other kids to put a face to the cause. They even got the kids paired up with different sports teams around campus to give the kids some special attention and involvement. Hayden was placed with the OSU Men’s Hockey team and he was in HEAVEN! What kid doesn’t love being the center of attention of college students, especially athletes?! One player in particular, who now plays professionally, really developed a connection with Hayden and our family and we’ve gone to visit and watch him play several times since he left OSU.
However, Hayden's favorite activity held each year is still the dance marathon, where he and the rest of the kids are treated like true rock stars, dancing on stage, parading about and smacking high fives or stopping for selfies with many of the 3,500 dancers.
Also, due to Hayden’s pacemaker, doctors have advised against him playing any contact sports. While his genetics certainly aren’t going to make him the next NFL or NBA star, he still has a love for those sports and it sometimes gets him down when he thinks about it too much. However, all we have to do is mention BuckeyeThon and all the activities he gets to participate in for such a great cause and he perks right up. It has truly been a blessing for our family and countless others as they continue to raise money to end pediatric cancer.
Jeff and Bri Laycock
ACTION STEPS
LEARN more about BuckeyeThon.
DONATE: Nationwide Children's Hospital is one of the largest and most comprehensive pediatric hospitals and research institutes in the United States. Donate directly to Nationwide Children's Hospital or to BuckeyeThon. Both sites give you the option of donating in honor of someone (like Hayden!).
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