It was early April. It was nice and warm and sunny out. Hot shot, Hoist, Medix, Whirl and Wedge all woke up bright and early that morning. However they all noticed something. They each noticed they had a really bad headache.
Hot shot was wondering why his head was hurting he came into the kitchen. "Good morning Hot shot," Quickshadow.
"Good morning son," Heatwave said.
"Mummy, daddy my head hurts," Hot shot said.
"You have headache?" Quickshadow asked.
"Yes," Hot shot said. "It hurts," he said.
Quickshadow gave Hot shot some medicine for his headache. Hot shot sat down and tried to relax.
At Hoist's home, he came into the kitchen holding his head. "Good morning Hoist," Linecross said.
"Good morning son," Towlaunch said.
"Mommy, daddy my head hurts," Hoist said.
"Sounds like someone has a headache," Linecross said. Then she gave him some medicine to help. Hoist sat down and tried to enjoy his breakfast.
At Medix's house he came up to his parents and uncle right away. "Good morning Medix," Redcross said.
"Good morning son," Medicate said.
"Good morning to you Medix," Ratchet said.
"Mommy, daddy, uncle Ratchet my head hurts," Medix said.
"Sounds like somebody has headache," Redcross said.
"A little children's painkiller will help," Medicate said.
Medix was given the medicine. "Just try to relax until the medicine works," Ratchet told him. Medix sat down to do so.
At Whirl's house she came into the kitchen. "Good morning Whirl," Airlift said.
"Good morning sweetie," Skyspot said.
"My head hurts," Whirl said.
"That can easily be taken care of," Airlift said and gave her medicine.
Whirl sat down and began to relax.
Wedge came into the kitchen at his house. "Good morning Wedge," Paintstroke said.
"Good morning son," Dugout said.
"Good morning little brother," Heavyload said.
"Good morning younger brother," Gridlock said.
"Morning little bro," Hightower said.
"My head hurts," Wedge said.
"I have some medicine for kids to help with that," Paintstroke said and gave him the medicine.
Wedge sat down and began to relax a bit to wait for the medicine to work.
However the medicine didn't seem to be working. They had to take it a few more times that day. The headaches woke them up a night that night. They had the headache still in the morning. They came to their parents and complained about it. They were given more medicine to help.
Then a couple of days later they woke up with not only a bad headache they were still having but also feeling sick to their stomachs. They came up to their parents that morning.
"My head and tummy hurts," Hot shot told his parents.
"My head and tummy hurt," Hoist said to his parents at his house.
At Medix's house he was with his parents and uncle. "My head and tummy really hurt," Medix said to them.
Whirl was with her parents. "My head and tummy hurt," she told them.
Wedge was with his family. "My head and tummy are hurting," Wedge said.
Then a bit later the children all vomited in their own homes. The kids were not feeling well at all. They had to rest at home instead of going to the zoo like they wanted to today. Their parents didn't want to go because they threw up.
Over the next few days the kids all still had all very painful headaches. The pain was really bad at night waking them up. The pain was really bad in the morning. Painkillers were not helping at all. The headaches were not going away. These headaches were like a pressure it felt like their heads were giant fizzy bottles. The pain could sometimes because very sharp or throbbing. It wasn't pleasant at all. The kids wanted the pain to go away.
The kids were still getting sick. They were vomiting at least once a day. Normally in the mornings. The kids had been very unhappy because the throwing up had put a hold on things they like to do. But they didn't like getting sick that often either.
Soon they were feeling very tired too. They just didn't have a lot of energy. They felt very tired and didn't feel like playing as much. They were just not as active as before. It was rather worrisome.
The kids were starting to get very stiff necks. There necks hurt and it was hard to move their necks. It was most uncomfortable. Also their heads were starting to tilt to the right. It was a bit unusual to see. They were not comfortable with this weird position especially with their necks hurting. They were not enjoying this at all.
Their parents were all getting very worried. Their normally healthy children were all having problems. Tonight the kids looked pretty bad. Their head were really hurting and then they collapsed and had seizures. The seizures only lasted about a minute each.
They decided to take the children to Cook Children's hospital to find out what is wrong.
During the ride to the hospital the kids were all very nervous and scared. They were worried what was going to happen. They were all holding on to their favorite stuffed animals. Once at Cook children's hospital they were taken inside.
They were in the part of the hospital called the ER. They all saw many kids there. They even saw each other for the first time and approached each other.
"Hi I am Hot shot," Hot shot said.
"Hi I am Hoist," Hoist said.
"Hi I am Medix," Medix said.
"Hi I am Whirl," Whirl said.
"Hi I am Wedge," Wedge said.
"I am going to be five years old," Hot shot said.
"I am going to be five years old too," Hoist said.
"I am also going to be five years old," Medix said.
"I will also going to turn five years old too," Whirl said.
"I am about to turn five years old as well," Wedge said.
"This is Roxy," Hot shot said showing them Roxy the rhino.
"This is Tina Rexy," Hoist said showing Tina Rexy the T-rex.
"This is Mr. Flappy," Medix said showing them Mr. Flappy the bat.
"This is Luna," Whirl said showing them Luna the barn owl.
"This is Daisy," Wedge said showing Daisy the tortoise.
"I am here because, I have a bad headache, I feel sick and been throwing up, I have been tired, my neck is stiff, my head is tilting and I had something called a seizure," Hot shot said.
"Me too," Hoist said.
"Same here," Medix said.
"I am here for that," Whirl said.
"I am here for the same thing," Wedge said.
"Sounds like we are here for pretty much the same thing," Hot shot said.
"That's true," Hoist said.
"You are right about that," Whirl said.
"You are correct," Wedge said.
"True, but hospitals tend to see stuff like this often," Medix said. "They help people with these problems all the time," he said.
"That's true," Hot shot said.
"You're right," Hoist said.
"You are right about that," Whirl said.
"You are not wrong," Wedge said.
The four other children began to play together and have fun. Hot shot was wondering what the doctor was going to do still. He was wondering about the many things that might happen. Hot shot was still a bit nervous about what might happen. He was scared it was going to hurt. So he didn't know what to think. But he did want to feel better.
Then a nurse came out a few different times and the kids were called back one by one. The kids were very nervous when the doctors saw them. Their families explained the kids symptoms. The doctors took a look at the children and decided to admit them to the hospital.
That night they got IVs for fluids because they were dehydrated. They were now in hospital rooms and would have scans the next morning.
The next morning the kids were woken up and got to ride in wagons to the radiology department so they could get MRIs. They saw each other in the radiology department and were happy to see each other too.
"I came here because I need an MRI," Hot shot said.
"I need an MRI too," Hoist said.
"I also need an MRI," Medix said.
"I need an MRI as well," Whirl said.
"I need an MRI also," Wedge said.
The kids were all wondering why the needed an MRI. They were wondering what it was and what it does. They were also wondering if it was going to hurt.
A child life specialist named Riley came over. "Hello I am Riley," Riley said. "What is your name?" she asked.
"I am Hot shot," Hot shot said. "This is Roxy," he said showing her Roxy.
"I am Hoist," Hoist said. "This is Tina Rexy," he said showing Tina Rexy.
"I am Medix," Medix said. "This is Mr. Flappy," he said showing Mr. Flappy.
"I am Whirl," Whirl said. "This is Luna," she said showing Luna.
"I am Wedge," Wedge said. "This is Daisy," he said showing Daisy.
"Nice to meet you kids, I am a child life specialist and I can help answer your questions," Riley said. "Because that is my job to help kids like you learn about procedures and tests they might do," she said.
"What is an MRI?" Hot shot asked he was holding on to Roxy the rhino.
"MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, meaning it is a picture taker," Riley told him.
"Does it hurt?" Hoist asked feeling a bit scared.
"No it doesn't hurt at all," Riley said. "It just takes pictures of you," she said.
"Mommy and daddy took pictures of me during a vacation," Medix said with a smile.
"That is nice," Riley said. "But those are pictures of the outside of your body." she said. "An MRI takes pictures of your insides," she told him. "So it will be pictures of the inside of your body," she added.
"Cool," Medix said. That was kind of interesting to hear. It sounded really cool.
"You will have to change out of your clothes and into a hospital gown, and get an IV for something called contrast, it doesn't hurt either but it will make you feel warm," Riley said. "Getting the IV might hurt, but only for a second," she told him.
"Where does the IV go?" Whirl asked.
"It will either go in your arm, or in your hand," Riley said.
"What is the contrast for?" Wedge asked.
"To make the pictures show up better," Riley answered.
"How long does it take?" Hot shot asked. He was kind of curious about it.
"It can take any where from thirty minutes to an hour normally but it can also take longer depending on how many pictures are needed, and what part of the body is being looked at," Riley said.
"The doctor from the ER sent me here to get pictures of my head," Hoist said. "Why does he want me to get pictures of my head?" he asked. He was wondering why he needed an MRI done of his head.
"Then the ER doctor wants the doctors here in the radiology department to take a look at your brain," Riley said. "The MRI is great at taking pictures of a brain and the inside of it," she said.
"Will it know what I am thinking?" Medix asked all wide eyed.
"No the machine isn't that clever," Riley said laughing. "But it will be able to see if anything might be wrong with your brain," she said. "Like if it is hurt or something, like if there is problem making you feel sick," she said.
"Oh," Medix said.
"You can watch a movie or listen music or hear stories during the MRI," Riley said. "It is your choice," she said. "You also have to stay very still during the MRI, because the cameras in it are very sensitive because if you move it will blur the photo, you can still breathe, but other than that you need to hold still." she told him.
"Okay," the kids said.
"The MRI makes a lot of loud noises, but don't worry it just means the MRI is doing it's job," Riley explained. "But you will get ear protection to help block out some of the noise," she said. "If your are going to listen to music or stories it will come through headphones, if you are going to watch a movie you are going to wear special goggles so you can watch it, along with wearing headphones so you can hear it." she explained.
"Can I bring Roxy?" Hot shot asked.
"Can I bring Tina Rexy?" Hoist asked.
"Can I bring Mr. Flappy?" Medix asked.
"Can I bring Luna?" Whirl asked.
"Can I bring Daisy?" Wedge asked.
"Of course, many kids are able to bring a stuffed animal or blanket with them when getting an MRI," Riley told him. "You and animals will both be scanned for metal before the scan to help make sure the picture will come out clear," she said. "If you have anything else metal you need to remove it," she told him. "That way the pictures will come out nice and clear," she explained.
"Okay," the kids said. "Will I be able to go home afterwards?" they asked. All of them were really hoping to go home as soon as possible.
"You will be able to go home once the doctor looks at your scan and tells your parents what they have found on your scan since you were sent in for a scan so soon," Riley told him. "Once the doctor's know for sure what is going on, they will decide when you will be able to go home," she said. "Because if the doctors seen on your scan that there is nothing to worry about, you can go home," she said. "If there is something the doctors see that might be a cause for concern, like an injury, infection or some other type of problem they will want to keep you here at the hospital, until it is perfectly safe to allow you to go home," she said. "Because if they see something wrong with your brain it won't be safe for you to go home for a while," she said.
"Oh, okay," They said. All of them were worried about staying the hospital for a while. He never had to stay in a hospital before last night.
"You might even be able to see what you MRI scans look like after the doctor takes a look," Riley told him.
"Cool," They said. All of them were wondering what the inside of his brain looked like. It was very interesting to think about.
Then Riley showed them a special video to tell them all about the MRI in cartoon form. It was just in case the kids needed a better understanding still. They watched it together. They all liked the video a lot it was really cool with these characters. It was really neat. It helped them realize they could make believe too during the MRI so it won't be so boring. They all just had to remember to stay still as they pretended. They were all also wondering what to pretend about. It was kind of fun to say the least. It made the kids feel a lot better about getting an MRI. It didn't so scary now.
"The MRI doesn't so scary now," Hot shot said. "I am ready for it too," he said.
"I am ready for it too," Hoist said.
"I am also ready for it," Medix said.
"I am also ready for it too," Whirl said.
"I am ready for it was well," Wedge said.
"That is great," Riley said.
Soon one by one the kids were taken back. They each had their turn with the MRI. They did just as Riley explained would happen. They saw the MRI had a rainforest skin and had a bird on top. It was pretty cool. They all remembered to stay nice and still. They were doing a very good job at it too. They got warm from the contrast too. Then after 64 minutes each their scans were all over.
They were back with their families after that. They now had to wait for the results of the scans. They were wondering what the doctors were going to see on their scans.
The doctors were all looking at the scans. On Hot shot's scan they saw a tumor the size of kiwi on his cerebellum. On Hoist scan they saw a tumor the size of strawberry on his cerebellum. On Medix scan they saw a tumor the size of a lime on his cerebellum. On Whirl's scan they saw a tumor the size of a halo orange on her cerebellum. On Wedge's scan they saw a tumor the size of a walnut on his cerebellum.
Then a doctor came to tell each of them and their parents the news. The doctor took turns seeing each of them. Her name was Dr. Zhao. "Hot shot has a brain tumor," Dr. Zhao told Hot shot and his parents.
"Hoist has a brain tumor," Dr. Zhao told Hoist and his parents.
"Medix has a brain tumor," Dr. Zhao told Medix and his family.
"Whirl has a brain tumor," Dr. Zhao told Whirl and her parents.
"Wedge had a brain tumor," Dr. Zhao told Wedge and his parents.
The kids didn't know what a brain tumor was at all. "What is a brain tumor?" the kids asked.
"We are all made of cells, billions if not trillions of them," Dr. Zhao said. "They make up every part of our bodies, even our brains," she said. "These cells grow and divide to help us stay healthy and grow," she said. "However sometimes cells break or get made broken these broken cells grow and divide when they shouldn't." She said. "They don't know when to stop either," she said. "They can then form a lump called a tumor," she said. "When the tumor is in your brain it is called a brain tumor," she said. "Brain tumors can make you feel very sick, and it keeps the brain from doing its job easily," she said.
"What does a brain do?" The kids asked.
"The brain is like a computer," Dr. Zhao said. "It controls everything you do say and feel." She said. "It controls your whole body." She told them. "A brain tumor can happen in any part of your brain too and there are different types of brain tumors too," she said. "We are going to try to remove part or all of the tumor to find out what kind of brain tumor it is." She said.
"Okay," the kids said.
"That means you are going to have surgery," Dr. Zhao said. "One of our neurosurgeons will do surgery on you," she said. "You surgery will be tomorrow I hope you are ready for that," she said.
"Okay," the kids said. They all watched the video from the same series to learn about surgery. They learned how they would feel after surgery when they wake up and having a scar. They learned it would take a bit to get their strength back too. They were not allowed to eat or drink before surgery. So they couldn't have anything after dinner that night. They were not allowed to have breakfast either.
They were then checked into the hospital. They got comfortable in their hospital rooms. They had a hard time sleeping that night. Then the next morning they were taken to the operating rooms. One by one, they all had their hair shaved off in the spot where the tumors were going to be removed. The kids soon fell asleep and the neurosurgeons were all very careful to remove the tumors from the children. They managed to remove the whole tumors of each of the children.
The children woke up in the ICU. They each had their own room and saw their parents there in their rooms. They were told they all did great during surgery. They were told they were going to be just fine. They all began to do therapy during the time the doctors were looking at the biopsies. The kids were doing well during therapy. Soon the kids moved to regular hospital rooms a couple of days later. They were still doing physical therapy.
The doctors were looking at the biopsy samples from the children. They were trying to find out what kind of brain tumor each child had. The tumors were on the right hemisphere of the cerebellum on all five children. They were going to find out what kind of brain tumor these kids had. They looked carefully at the biopsy samples and ran tests on them to find out as much as they could. They were determined to find out about the type of brain tumor they were dealing with.
"This tumor is Medulloblastoma, just like the other last four were for the other five year olds," The pathologist said. "It is of the SHH variety and it has classic cell representation," he said.
Dr. Zhao took a look at the biopsies from all five children. "We have five case of Medulloblastoma SHH classic cell variety," Dr. Zhao said. "All five cases are five year old children who live here in Fort Worth." she said. "Having five cases of the same age range in the same day is very unusual," she said. "We have found quite a few brain tumors this past month," she said. "Now that we know what kind of brain tumors they have we can begin to help these children." she said.
Then Dr. Zhao went to them one by one. "I have the results of Hot shot's biopsy" Dr. Zhao said. "Hot shot has Medulloblastoma SHH classic cell, a grade 4 brain tumor that is brain cancer," she said to Hot shot and his parents.
"I have the results of Hoist's biopsy," Dr. Zhao said. "Hoist has Medulloblastoma SHH classic cell a grade 4 brain tumor that is brain cancer," she said to Hoist and his parents.
"I have the results of Medix's biopsy," Dr. Zhao said. "Medix has Medulloblastoma SHH classic cell a grade 4 brain tumor that is brain cancer," she told Medix and his family.
"I have the results of Whirl's biopsy," Dr. Zhao said. "Whirl has Medulloblastoma SHH classic cell a grade 4 brain tumor that is brain cancer." she told Whirl and her parents.
"I have the result's of Wedge's biopsy," Dr. Zhao said. "Wedge has Medulloblastoma SHH classic cell a grade 4 brain tumor that is brain cancer," she told Wedge and his parents.
Hot shot, Hoist, Medix, Whirl and Wedge didn't know what cancer was and what it meant. They just knew that is sounded very scary. They saw their families look sad, scared and worried. Not knowing what it was and anything about it was making them scared.
"What is cancer?" the kids asked.
"Remember when I told you we were made of cells?" Dr. Zhao asked.
"Yes," the kids said.
"Well when there are too many bad cells, that make lump, this lump can spread other bad cells to other body parts," Dr. Zhao said. "These cells can form new tumors there and cause more problems and that makes you very sick," she said.
Hot shot, Hoist, Medix, Whirl and Wedge were all in shock. They were surprised that this was happening to them. They felt confused, overwhelmed, sad, angry, scared, worried, shocked and numb all at once. They were feeling these feelings like a big swirling storm. "What now?" the kids asked Dr. Zhao.
"I am going to help you fight your cancer," Dr. Zhao told each of them. "I have helped many kids fight their brain cancer and I am good at my job." she said. "Are you ready to start fighting the cancer with me?" she asked them.
The kids were all kind of scared but they were ready to be brave. So they looked her right in eye and said: "Bring it on!"
"You are very brave," Dr. Zhao said. "We are going to have to do more tests to find out more. Then we can begin treatment," she said.
The kids each got another MRI. They all also stayed nice and still for it just like the first one. The kids also got a blood test, nurse used a needle to take some blood from their arms. The kids each got to use another buzzy for it. Each of the kids also had to get something called a lumbar puncture, they had to lay down on their sides and a doctor numb their back and the stuck needle into their backs. The kids didn't like that too much it kind of hurt even with the numbing medicine. The doctor used the needle to remove fluid from their spines. Then placed a bandage on each of their backs. The blood and spinal fluid was sent to a lab in the hospital. The doctors looked at the blood and lumbar samples. The blood test was check if over all health and the lumbar puncture was to see if any cancer cells were in the fluid. They were also trying to see the risk group the kids were each in. It was to help plan for each of their treatment plans so each of them can start their treatment and their own hopeful recovery.
Dr. Zhao came to each of the kids and their families. "The risk is standard the treatment will be easier and the chances of recovery are higher," Dr. Zhao said.
They were all so relieved at that as they watched the kids play.
Then the kids all met more people in the hospital they were going to be part of their care teams. Dr. Zhao was all of the kids primary neuro-oncologist she was going to over see each of their treatment and decide on medicine the kids were going to need. Dr. Pacenta who was going to be the kids' primary oncologist and was going to help with each of their treatment. Dr. Acord the neurologist who was going to to help with each of their treatment. Dr. Hansen the neurosurgeon he was going to help with each of the kids' treatment plan. Dr. Waller the dietitian who was going to help each of the kids with nutrition during treatment. Dr. Tirn the radiologist who was going to look at scans of the children. Dr. Justi the psychologist who was going to help the kids with how each of them were feeling. Dr. Grete the radio-oncologist who was going to help with kids own treatment plans. Hailey and Jason the nurses who were going to help take care of the kids, they were going to give each of the kids each their own treatments and medicine. Grace and Mark the physical therapists who were going to help the kids during treatment. Freddie and Darcy the occupational therapists who were going to help with each of them treatment. Victor and Nancy the speech therapists who were going to help each of them during treatment. Penny the child life specialist who was going to help each of the kids learn about their illness and treatment and help each of them cope. Lucy, Rick, Josie, Garret and Frieda, the social workers who were going to help each of the kids and their families deal with the illness and set them up with connections.
The kids own primary pediatricians were going to help with the care too. Because they were their every days doctors.
The kids were told that each of them and their parents were part of the team too. Because they helped with input and learning about which treatments work for them.
The kids were all amazed to have such a big team. It felt like they all had the whole hospital helping them out. That made them feel amazed by it.
Dr. Zhao explained the kids their treatment plan. "Chemotherapy, and radiation therapy are needed, more surgery will only be done if some of the tumor remains, grows back, or another tumor appears after spreading." Dr. Zhao said.
"What is chemotherapy and radiation?" the kids asked.
"Radiation is using high energy waves to zap the tumor and cancer to kill it," Dr. Grete said. "It kills the cancer and cells in the tumor and helps make it shrink," he said. "There are different types of radiation and what you need depends on a few things such as the type of tumor you have, the main types are X-rays and new kind called proton, different hospitals sometimes offer one type while other offer other types with proton therapy," he said. "How long you need depends on things too," he said. "First we must get another scan to find out what kind of radiation you need and how long you will need it," he said. "How long it will be needed will be anywhere from 5 to 7 weeks," he told them. "You will also make a special mask to use during your radiation therapy, it helps keep your head still," he said. "It won't hurt a bit during therapy," he said. "You will get some side effects such as being tired, feeling sick, having sore skin, and lose some of the hair on the spot of the radiation treatment," he said. "But the side effects go away once radiation treatment ends," he said. "You will even get to keep your mask after you finish your last radiation treatment," he said.
"Cool," the kids said.
"Chemotherapy is a really strong medicine used to fight cancer," Dr. Zhao said. "It kills the cancer cells and the tumor to make it shrink," she said. "It can be taken in many different ways, by IV, by central line, or by pill," she said. "You will get yours through a central line," she said. "There are a few different types of central line, there are Hickman lines, Port a caths, and PICC lines," she said. "I decided the kind you will have, most doctors like me decide which one their patient may need when they prepare to start treatment. You will get a Hickman line, it is tube that goes into the skin of your chest," she said. "Part of it will be under your skin and the rest will stick out of the skin on your chest, it can either have one or two openings at the end." she said. "Yours will have two," she said. "A nurse or doctor will access it with a special syringe or with an IV line, but no needles are needed for it," she said. "With a Hickman line you can get all the medicine, tests and other infusion treatments you may need without the use of so many needles," she told him. "The chemotherapy is very good at its job," she said. "It does have some bad side effects though," she said. "It can make you tired, make you sick to your stomach, make your bruise easily, give you mouth sores, make it easier to catch germs, and make your hair fall out," she said. "But the side effects go away once chemotherapy ends and your hair will grow back," she told them. "You will need chemotherapy for several months to a year, it depends on many things," she said. "You might need it long time because of the grade of the tumor," she said.
"Okay," the kids said. They were confused by all the side effects of the treatments. But they knew they would learn more about the treatments a bit later.
"You will also be taking other medicines to help you during treatment," Dr. Zhao said. "One will help prevent seizures if you develop any, some will help with the side effects of treatment, some will prevent you from getting sick from germs, one will help with headaches, corticosteroids which are not like the bad steroids will help you with side effects of treatment the problems caused by the tumor itself," she said. "These medicines will be taken by mouth," she told him. "They will be a liquid for you to swallow," she told them.
"Okay," the kids said.
Then the kids were each taken back to get their Hickman lines put in. The kids were each made to fall asleep and the doctors put in each of their Hickman lines. When the kids woke up each of them saw they had their Hickman lines. It had two openings at the end that stuck out like Dr. Zhao said. It was a little sore but a nurse told each of them it was normal. "You will be able to get back to normal activities with your Hickman line once the area heals," Dr. Zhao told them. "You have to keep the Hickman line clean and dry, you will need a special cover for it when you take a bath, and there will be a dressing to help keep it out of the way, just be careful of your chest," she told them. "But the best part about a Hickman line is getting tests and treatments done with less needles," she said.
"Okay," the kids said. They all liked the idea of not so many needles.
They were soon all taken to the oncology ward. They saw each other their and came up to each other.
"I just found out I have Medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor that is brain cancer and I need treatment," Hot shot said.
"I have that too," Hoist said.
"Same here," Medix said.
"I also have that," Whirl said.
"Me too," Wedge said.
"Let's fight our cancer together," Hot shot said.
"I like that," Hoist said.
"It sounds interesting," Medix said.
"I'm in," Whirl said.
"Count me in," Wedge said.
They all joined hands on it. They were all very happy their rooms were close to each other's. Each of the kids soon got settled into their hospital rooms. They were resting in bed after a long day. Soon Hot shot, Hoist's, Medix's and Wedge's father's had to leave, and Whirl's mother had to leave. Medix's uncle had to leave as well. They all had to go to work tomorrow. But Hot shot's Hoist's, Medix's and Wedge's mothers and Whirl's father were going to stay with them. Their leaving parents told them they would be back and soon take a shift with them. They told them that each of their parents would be taking shifts with them. But not to worry even if one parent leaves they will always come back.
Their parents had called their families telling them what was going on. They were all willing to support them and be there for them.
The kids all soon fell asleep. They were all ready to fight their cancer and they were determined to win too!