Ziggy Gower flashes a trademark smile in a keepsake photo with his mom Kaitlyn. The pair were among the more than 530 participants in the Escape to Belle Isle event that raised approximately $20,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Detroit.
By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
Four-year-old Ziggy Gower, a preschooler from Clinton Township, was among a throng of participants in the 400-yard fun run at the Escape to Belle Isle event last month to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Detroit.
His participation in the 17th annual family-friendly event founded by attorneys Jenna Write Greenman and her husband Milt would seem otherwise normal except for a noteworthy detail.
Ziggy is suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (A.L.L.), an aggressive form of cancer that he was diagnosed with in February after experiencing a peculiar ringing in his ears that was even audible to others.
“It was really bizarre — the ringing he had in his ears,” said Ziggy’s mother, Kaitlyn Gower, a paralegal at the Sam Bernstein Law Firm. “He kept saying that ‘I have a bee in my head,’ which seemed really odd until I could hear it myself when I got really close to him. It was very strange.”
A few days later after her son began to look decidedly pale, Kaitlyn and her husband Mathew contacted their pediatrician, who after consulting with an ENT specialist told them to go for an MRI at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Troy.
“His hemoglobin level was 5.5, when it normally should be in the 12 to 13 range for kids,” said Kaitlyn, noting that hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen throughout the body.
After receiving two blood transfusions, Ziggy was transferred from the ER to a different floor at the hospital, one reserved for patients dealing with hematology oncology issues, otherwise known as blood disorders related to cancer.
“That’s when it really hit us,” Kaitlyn said of the seriousness of his condition. “By that time, he had loss nearly a third of his blood. He was in really bad shape and who knows what could have happened to him if we had waited another day or even hours to find out what was going on with him.”
Within days, Ziggy was undergoing chemotherapy treatment, a twice a week regimen that is being ramped up this month to five days a week for two consecutive weeks, according to his mom, who also has an infant son named Hendricks.
“It’s been tough on Ziggy, as he has experienced a lot of fatigue and has to undergo regular lumbar punctures,” Kaitlyn said. “He has a port in his chest for the transfusions, but he has remained upbeat throughout all this.
“He sees himself as a normal kid, even though these treatments are going to continue for three years until he’s in remission. There’s a very high success rate associated with this kind of treatment, so we’re very encouraged about that.”
And yet, Kaitlyn and her husband can’t gloss over the undeniable fact “that our son has cancer.”
The good news, however, is that Ziggy will not need a bone marrow transplant, nor will he have to undergo radiation treatment, according to his oncology team.
In fact, he has weathered his current chemo treatment well enough that doctors cleared him to take part in the fun run event at Belle Isle, a decision that seemed like a long shot just a few months ago.
“The fact that the event is a fund-raiser for the Ronald McDonald House made it all the more important for us to participate,” said Kaitlyn, who someday might be in a position where her family needs to avail itself of the lodging facilities provided by charitable organization. “We really believe in its mission.”
By Tom Kirvan
Legal News
Four-year-old Ziggy Gower, a preschooler from Clinton Township, was among a throng of participants in the 400-yard fun run at the Escape to Belle Isle event last month to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Detroit.
His participation in the 17th annual family-friendly event founded by attorneys Jenna Write Greenman and her husband Milt would seem otherwise normal except for a noteworthy detail.
Ziggy is suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (A.L.L.), an aggressive form of cancer that he was diagnosed with in February after experiencing a peculiar ringing in his ears that was even audible to others.
“It was really bizarre — the ringing he had in his ears,” said Ziggy’s mother, Kaitlyn Gower, a paralegal at the Sam Bernstein Law Firm. “He kept saying that ‘I have a bee in my head,’ which seemed really odd until I could hear it myself when I got really close to him. It was very strange.”
A few days later after her son began to look decidedly pale, Kaitlyn and her husband Mathew contacted their pediatrician, who after consulting with an ENT specialist told them to go for an MRI at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Troy.
“His hemoglobin level was 5.5, when it normally should be in the 12 to 13 range for kids,” said Kaitlyn, noting that hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen throughout the body.
After receiving two blood transfusions, Ziggy was transferred from the ER to a different floor at the hospital, one reserved for patients dealing with hematology oncology issues, otherwise known as blood disorders related to cancer.
“That’s when it really hit us,” Kaitlyn said of the seriousness of his condition. “By that time, he had loss nearly a third of his blood. He was in really bad shape and who knows what could have happened to him if we had waited another day or even hours to find out what was going on with him.”
Within days, Ziggy was undergoing chemotherapy treatment, a twice a week regimen that is being ramped up this month to five days a week for two consecutive weeks, according to his mom, who also has an infant son named Hendricks.
“It’s been tough on Ziggy, as he has experienced a lot of fatigue and has to undergo regular lumbar punctures,” Kaitlyn said. “He has a port in his chest for the transfusions, but he has remained upbeat throughout all this.
“He sees himself as a normal kid, even though these treatments are going to continue for three years until he’s in remission. There’s a very high success rate associated with this kind of treatment, so we’re very encouraged about that.”
And yet, Kaitlyn and her husband can’t gloss over the undeniable fact “that our son has cancer.”
The good news, however, is that Ziggy will not need a bone marrow transplant, nor will he have to undergo radiation treatment, according to his oncology team.
In fact, he has weathered his current chemo treatment well enough that doctors cleared him to take part in the fun run event at Belle Isle, a decision that seemed like a long shot just a few months ago.
“The fact that the event is a fund-raiser for the Ronald McDonald House made it all the more important for us to participate,” said Kaitlyn, who someday might be in a position where her family needs to avail itself of the lodging facilities provided by charitable organization. “We really believe in its mission.”
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