When their 12-year-old son Joe was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia B cell last Fall, life changed instantly for Michael and Flavia Moylan of Tinley Park. In between their frequent trips for Joe’s treatments at Loyola Hospital in Maywood, POTCF Founder and CEO Colleen Kisel recently conducted an insightful interview with Flavia. As is often the case, Colleen was amazed by the courage, strength and invincible spirit displayed by families like the Moylans who are battling cancer.

POTCF: Can you tell me about the time when Joe was diagnosed?

Flavia: Joe has always been a very active and athletic child. At the beginning of November 2015, football season was coming to an end and he had complained a couple times about being extra tired. During the Fall and Spring Joe has suffered allergies, so we attributed his tiredness to a possible sinus congestion from the allergies. On Sunday, November 8, football was over (they won their Super Bowl!) and Joe started wrestling on Monday, November 9. He came home complaining of a headache, and although he continued his life as normal that week, all three times he went to wrestling practice he complained of the same headache. I attributed this to the same potential sinus issues. On Saturday, November 14, his wrestling coach noticed his endurance was not like usual so he wrestled with Joe to try and figure out what was going on. After their practice was over his coach called me and told me he thought there was something wrong with Joe that might be more than a possible sinus or allergy. His endurance was pretty low, he got dizzy easily and he could not catch his breath. We were really scratching our heads trying to determine what could be wrong. His coach mentioned it could also be a possible concussion that nobody had noticed, and with that information we decided to call our pediatrician. I remember my Monday morning call for an appointment perfectly: when the nurse asked what was wrong, I said it could be something as simple as a sinus infection or as complicated as a concussion. When I picked Joe up from school for his afternoon appointment at the pediatrician’s office, he said just walking from his classes to the front desk had given him a headache. His pediatrician, who has always been incredibly thorough and professional, ruled out the sinus infection immediately, and little by little ruled out the concussion. In his examination he heard a heart murmur he had never heard before, so with that he performed an EKG and confirmed Joe’s irregular heartbeat. The doctor then did a blood test and sent us home to wait for the results from the lab, but he told me he wanted me to be prepared because he thought Joe was anemic. That night he called us with the results of the blood test that confirmed what he was afraid of, which was Joe being very anemic. With this information he referred us to the Loyola Hematology Oncology team, with whom we had an appointment the next morning. On Tuesday morning they admitted Joe into the Ronald McDonald Children’s Hospital at Loyola and performed a bone marrow test. On Wednesday, November 18, they confirmed his ALL diagnosis.    

POTCF: What was your reaction when you heard the news? 

Flavia: It was almost an out-of-body experience. But I also knew I had to stay strong and positive for him.

POTCF: What type of treatment did Joe go through? 

Flavia: Immediately after diagnosis we planned his chemotherapy protocols, and started with surgery to insert the port. Joe has had chemotherapy treatments at least once a week since last November. He is expected to be in maintenance in a couple months and he will be able to do treatments once a month after that.

POTCF: Can you tell me about the hospitalizations/clinic?

Flavia: At the beginning they were scary, but the staff, our doctors, social workers and the child life specialist have really done an incredible job to make us feel as if we are in our second home at Loyola.

POTCF: What is the worst part of Joe’s treatment? 

Flavia: That he is missing out on being a 12/13 year old. He is missing out on doing all the sports he loves and going to school.

POTCF: What is the best part, if there is a good part, of the clinic/hospital? 

Flavia: How mature and aware of others he has become and how I have seen his compassion grow every day.

POTCF: Can you tell me about the Treasure Chest at the hospital?

Flavia: We first spotted it on our first visit to Loyola, our chair was right next to it. My husband and I have been very familiar with the Treasure Chest Foundation ever since we helped organize a couple galas some years ago. So my husband pointed the Treasure Chest out to Joe and mentioned he could pick out whatever he wanted after his IV had been inserted.

POTCF: Can you tell me about the gifts/gift cards Joe received at the hospital? 

Flavia: Being in his early teens meant Joe was not really interested in any toy, but his eyes grew pretty big when he realized there were gift cards he could get! Joe has received tons of gifts from the Foundation. Right now he has four friends who are battling different cancers at Loyola and they all range in age from 12 to 17. They all enjoy the gift cards because when their hospital stays coincide they all bring games for the Wii or Xbox and play tournaments. They also enjoy the Subway gift cards because there is a Subway restaurant located just downstairs from the treatment center. They also have tons of movies from the packets to choose from. Their teen room is so well-stocked, and their child life specialist always uses her resources to keep it that way.

POTCF: Did knowing Joe would receive a gift or gift card help the hospital/clinic experience?

Flavia: Absolutely it did, especially when Joe’s school heard about his diagnosis. All of the kids wanted to help, and so they organized a toy drive for the Treasure Chest and they put stickers on the toys they donated indicating they were from Hilda Walker School. Every week Joe would run to the Treasure Chest and look for a toy from his school.

POTCF: Did your relationship with friends and family change?

Flavia: One hundred percent. When you don’t have much free time, you get very picky about where and with whom you spend that free time. There are friends who step up and others who fall off. But for me it has really been a very positive change.

POTCF: How did Joe’s siblings handle his cancer diagnosis and the aftermath?

Flavia: Joe is the youngest of three, he has an older brother and an older sister. Everyone has handled it a little bit differently. Joe’s sister Stefanie is 27 and lives outside our home. She spent nights with him at the hospital and also special days. She brings such a sense of calm to him. Any time he is a little worried or anxious, a call to his sister makes it all better. They make sure to play games together all the time. His older brother Jack has dealt with it in a different way. He is so amazed by everyone’s support. He stays home many weekend nights to play Xbox or shinnie hockey with Joe. Hearing them laugh and “semi argue” is better than music for me! 

POTCF: Someone told me (Colleen) that my son’s cancer treatment would change me for the better.  Has this changed you in any way? 

Flavia: I hope it has changed me. I don’t sweat the little stuff. Our focus is on Joe.  More than focusing on other things we are really focusing on spending time with the people we love.

POTCF: What would you say to a family who just learned their son or daughter had been diagnosed with cancer?

Flavia: This is going to be a long road and it is going to stink, some days worse than others. Cherish the smiles, stick together, do simple things for each other. Organize yourself, have a night bag (as if you were expecting a baby) readily available, accept help from family and friends. Delegate and try to stay free of stress or anxiety, find a team of doctors and a hospital where you feel comfortable and let them worry about getting your kid healthy. You worry about keeping your child happy and comfortable. Hug a lot.

POTCF: What would you say to the Treasure Chest Foundation contributors? Please elaborate on the importance of their continued contributions.

Flavia: These children are going through a really tough time, their bodies are getting bombarded with heavy  medicines and they feel very crappy most of the time. At every age they get anxious about going into the clinic or hospital to be accessed through their ports or pick lines or IV’s, so easing that part of their treatment can make a real positive impact in their lives. Joe has gotten increasingly anxious about being accessed and in pain. When I see those little eyes getting big with worry I always ask him what kind of gift card would he like and for what, and poof—his worry is gone, his little mind immediately begins thinking, “Oh, I want a Target gift card for this or that.”

POTCF: Do you have any final comments for our readers?

Flavia: I have always believed the Treasure Chest Foundation provides a great comfort for children going through a really hard time and helps their families too by easing the anxiety these treatments bring. Now that I have experienced it firsthand, I know how incredible this cause is. Joe visits the clinic for treatments once a week and we have seen dozens of children picking out toys. Each and every one of them is battling for his or her life, but they always manage to smile while getting a toy from the Treasure Chest.