Jameson was born on June 21, 2021. He was such a beautiful baby boy! Jameson was so perfect in every way apart from one small detail...he was born with a sacral dimple and a hair tusk which led to his spinal cord, called a teratoma tumor. Jameson was initially sent to CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) at 3 months old. There he not only had the teratoma removed but also had his tailbone shaved down. Jameson continued his follow up care with periodic visits to CHOP. In October of 2022, his last set of labs showed an increased number in his AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) which is a tumor marker. We scheduled an MRI to see what was causing these numbers. Unfortunately, due to complications, we had to reschedule the MRI for January of 2023. Thankfully, this time around there were no complications, and we were able to see that there had been regrowth of his teratoma. We then scheduled another removal for February 21, 2023. During the removal, the surgeon found another growth from his teratoma. We would later in the week find out the biopsy showed a germ cell tumor also known as a stage 3 yolk sac tumor. As parents, we took the time to digest the life-changing news... “Your child has cancer.” We decided it would be best for Jameson and our family to continue his care at Lehigh Valley Reilly’s Children’s Hospital. 

On March 15th, Jameson began his journey with Lehigh Valley by having his port placed and began his first of four rounds of chemotherapy. The cycles were twenty-one days, with the first five days being chemotherapy treatments. The first round of chemo was hard on little Jameson since he started out as inpatient and having IV fluids round the clock, not being able to sleep in his own bed or have freedom to run around as young toddlers do. Let's just say we were very excited to be home after a long week in the hospital. As we began his second round of chemo, we were very blessed to receive the news that he would be able to continue his chemotherapy on an outpatient basis!

At first Jameson was afraid of coming into the clinic, not knowing anyone or understanding his environment. But he soon learned how much he loved the clinic. He got to see every nurse, and they were all so high-spirited and kind. He created such a wonderful bond with every one of the nurses and child life specialists. Jameson was graciously gifted a Squishmallow duck from Dr. Jake Troutman, now known as "Ducky".  Thanks to Dr.Jake, Ducky has become not only another member of this family but has become a symbol of his battle. During his time at clinic, he also met a wonderful woman who was a part of PCFLV...Kris. Kris was so kind and enjoyed playing with Jameson, whether it was placing stickers on a piece of paper for art or helping build with Play-doh.  Everyone who was a part of the team made such an incredible impact on our life. This made coming to the clinic such a smooth experience, and we are truly grateful for each and every one of them! 

As of August 11th, 2023, Jameson was declared cancer-free and rang the finality bell! Hallelujah! Bless our little boy! Even though he has been declared in remission, he was still considered immunocompromised. Since he was so young when he started his journey, he had to wait six months after treatment before being able to redo all of his infant immunizations. Even though Jameson was declared NED (no evidence of disease), he will continue to have follow up scans and labs done every six months until further notice. In March 2024, Jameson was able to go back to daycare and start preschool! Throughout this time, PCFLV has been so incredible. They have given our family so many opportunities to do things together, as well as with other families with whom we are able to connect on the same level. We can't thank PCFLV enough for everything they have done and continue to do for our family. 

Written by Jameson’s mom, Carissa

Please consider helping children with cancer and others in our community by scheduling a blood donation at Miller-Keystone Blood Center: https://donor.giveapint.org/donor/schedules/zip