A second cancer diagnosis among young siblings has become a shocking and difficult reality for one Williams Lake family.
"You can totally hear your heart breaking in two when you hear the diagnosis," said Jenn Singleton, whose six-year-old daughter, Summer Singleton, is receiving chemotherapy treatment at Children's Hospital in Vancouver for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Friends, family, and co-workers have been rallying to support the Singletons, who went through the same trauma 10 years ago when their son, Braidon, was diagnosed with the same disease.
"The doctor here has never seen two siblings with the exact same diagnosis," she said. "Braidon is 16 now and doing great."
Over the past few months, Jenn said Summer had been complaining of aching bones and had trouble lifting her shoulders. She had a feeling something wasn't right and asked for a referral to a pediatrician who became concerned when blood tests showed that Summer had a low red blood cell count.
Things came to a head when they had to take Summer to the emergency at 3 a.m. in the morning of Jan. 22 because she was experiencing excruciating pain.
The devastating diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia was made at Children's Hospital on Jan. 25.
Having been through the trauma before, Jenn said she knew right away when she saw the doctor coming down the hall with a binder full of information that Summer had cancer.
Since then, she has been taking the first round of what will be two and a half years of chemotherapy treatment.
"She is doing really well in her spirit, but it is hard," Jenn said. "One day she had six needles."
Since the initial diagnosis and start of treatment there have been setbacks. One of the drugs Summer is taking causes blood clots that could show up anywhere in her body. Unfortunately last week a clot was found in her brain which required treatment and a week in hospital. She has also had two blood transfusions.
Since the initial diagnosis and first treatments, Summer has been able to spend most of her time with her parents. At first they stayed in a hotel, but on Feb. 3 they were able to get an apartment at Ronald McDonald House which is right on the hospital grounds.
Twice a week Summer goes to the hospital for intravenous chemotherapy treatment. In between Jenn also gives Summer oral chemotherapy treatments. And every 12 hours she gives Summer an injection of blood thinner in her hip to prevent blood clots.
In this early stage of treatment, Jenn said one of the side effects is "jelly legs" which makes it difficult for Summer to walk, so they bundle her up in a wheelchair and walk her around the hospital grounds for some fresh air.
She said the same teacher who taught Braidon when he was at Children's Hospital is now teaching Summer when she is well enough to attend classes. They also have craft and art projects at Ronald McDonald House.
Jenn said people in Williams Lake have been very supportive, from Summer's teachers and classmates at Nesika Elementary in Williams Lake who have raised funds for them, to Gary's co-workers at Gibraltar Mine who covered shifts for him when they first went to Vancouver, and three very close "super-girlfriends" who are taking turns helping take care of their sons between Gary's trips home.
On one trip home, she said Gary took the dog they got last summer to the Animal Care Hospital of Williams Lake and they wouldn't accept payment for the treatment.
"Everyone has been so helpful," Jenn said.
She notes Gary is now on leave from work until they can bring Summer home for the remainder of her treatments.
She said Braidon only had to be in Vancouver for two months during his early treatments, but she has met parents whose children with the same diagnosis have had to stay in Vancouver up to eight months.
"Each cycle is different and you have to go day by day."
The Singletons' oldest son Tyson, 18, started a Go-Fund-Me account to help the family through this difficult time.
"I'm hoping to help relieve some stress on my parents by raising some money while they live in Vancouver for the first part of treatment and then the traveling back and forth so we can all be together and support each other," Tyson says on his Go-Fund-Me page which has raised $6,830 to date.
His goal is to raise $10,000 to help his family.
The first month at Ronald McDonald House is free, but after that it will cost the family $12 a day to stay there.
To help Tyson raise funds for his family go to https://www.gofundme.com/sibling-number-2-fighting-leukemia.