[1]Leaf, Ares, Mars, Odin and Nolan Worsley at The Hospital for Sick Children when Mars was first diagnosed. Photo courtesy of Leaf Worsley
By April Lawrence
The fight against cancer is a family battle for Leaf Worsley and her family.
Their fight began last August when she felt a lump under her right arm. She at first thought it was just an infection because she was still breast-feeding her youngest son Ares, who will be turning two next month.
Worsley, 38, said she began to worry as she continued to feel it grow over the summer and decided to go to the doctor.
After examination, her family doctor sent her for a mammogram and ultrasound.
On “that day, they were quite positive I had breast cancer,” said Worsley.
The cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and because that is where she first discovered it, doctors had a difficult time determining what kind of cancer it was. The presence of milk because she was still breastfeeding also made it harder to determine.
By the following week, doctors had Worsley started on chemotherapy treatments to try to shrink the tumour. The chemo successfully reduced its size and it was down to individual cells when she had her mastectomy.
[2]Leaf Worsley 38, and Ares Worsley, two, shortly after Leaf’s first chemo. Photo courtesy of Leaf Worsley
But this wouldn’t be the only blow to the family of five.
“While I was still doing radiation is when Mars started getting sick,” said Worsley. “I was gone Monday to Friday because I had to go to Oshawa for radiation and Mars just seemed like he had a cold.”
Eldest son Mars, nearly seven, seemed to have a lingering cold. Often, he would seem sick at night and would perk up a bit in the morning or he would eat something and be fine.
After a call home from his gym teacher expressing her concern, they decided to take Mars to the doctor the next day. Due to her treatments in Oshawa, Worsely wasn’t able to be there.
When blood work revealed a very low hemoglobin count, Mars was immediately sent to Peterborough by ambulance. Before the transfusion was even ready, Mars was airlifted by helicopter to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. His hemoglobin didn’t hit a regular level until he had received two blood transfusions once he made it to Sick Kids.
“Over the course of the weekend, they did tests and came back and told us that he had leukemia,” said Worsley.
Leukemia is cancer in the blood, also known as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, said Worsley.
“It is actually the most common childhood cancer and that’s kind of good for us, just like the breast cancer was good for us, that it’s well studied and researched,” said Worsley. “So they know really well how to treat it.”
[3]Mars Worsley six, looking his sickest, but still wearing a giant smile. Photo courtesy of Leaf Worsley
Mars’ leukemia, which had spread into his spinal fluid, is considered high risk because it has to be treated more aggressively and there is a higher chance of it coming back, said Worsley.
The family now had to co-ordinate between the treatment schedules of both Worsley and Mars, who started chemotherapy.
“It was terrible,” said Worsley. “I wouldn’t be able to talk to doctors or find out how tests were going. I checked and it would take me four- and -a half to six –and- a -half hours because of the travel, and the wait time for an appointment just to get back onto a Go train. And so (when) he’s starting his treatments and as we’re finding out what’s wrong with him, I’m leaving every day.”
The family was also worried about their two other sons, Odin 5, and Ares nearly 2, because Mars sometimes said he and his mom are going to have a cancer party and he has gotten a lot of presents from the hospital. But they talked to Odin about it and Worsley thinks he seems to be okay. The boys are young so they don’t have as much of the stress and the worry, she said.
“But certainly the kids have gone through nights where it’s hard for them to get to sleep,” said Worsley. “It’s interesting the things that they kind of worry about compared to what adults worry about.”
The family has moved into an apartment at the Ronald McDonald House down the road from Sick Kids hospital. Worsley said it’s easier living there because it’s a 10-minute walk to the hospital.
[4]Ares, two, Odin, five, and Mars, 6, at Sick Kids hospital. Photo courtesy of Leaf Worsley
At Ronald McDonald House there are many activities that help the family keep a sense of normalcy.
“On regular days here, it does feel pretty normal,” said Worsley. “That we’re spending time at the park, we’re spending time outside, we’re spending some time on homework.”
Worsley, who is a teacher, said she feels lucky in a way that she got sick first because it allowed her to take sick leave. If only Mars had been sick, she wouldn’t have necessarily been able to get sick leave.
Their hometown of Bancroft has also been doing what they can to help. Numerous fundraisers have been held by various groups in the town to help raise money for the family. Mars’ school, Bird’s Creek Public School, raised $2,000 through a fundraiser they called Mission to Mars, as well as donations and fundraisers from the high school where Worsley is a teacher. The town is currently selling t-shirts for them.
“We’re so lucky we’re from a small community,” said Worsley, “where everybody knows our story and everybody is trying to help.”
Right now, they are expecting to be at Ronald McDonald house until around the end of November. Mars has been responding well to treatments. He has to finish his current course of treatment, and after that, he will have to do radiation treatments because of the cancer in his spinal fluid.
When the radiation is finished, he will have to do three years of nighttime chemo pill.
[5]Mars and Leaf Worsley at Relay for Life, survivor lap in Toronto. Photo courtesy of Leaf Worsley
“He’s doing amazing and I feel like, I don’t know if all kids do it as amazing as he does,” said Worsley.
As for Worsley, she is currently taking Herceptin injections. She doesn’t know the future plan yet, like how often she’ll have to see anyone, but for now, she says she thinks she’s doing well.
“It’s more just the stress about what might happen in the future, and who knows,” said Worsley.