Carter and his story

This past week has been so crazy. My brother Carter has been fighting a type of bone cancer called osteosarcoma since March. He had an MRI on Tuesday May 29th which showed that the tumor in his leg had grown instead of shrunk. He has been doing chemo since March to try to shrink the tumor, but that was not the case. The doctor told my parents that they were more than likely going to have to amputate his left leg during surgery. They said if enough cells were dead they would try to save it. About an hour in to his surgery, the doctor called my parents and said they were for sure going to have to take the leg. A few hours later my 17 year old brother woke up without his left leg.

Carter before his surgery, visiting with some of our other younger brothers.

Another before surgery picture with our sister Taylor.

Carter's recovery is going very well. The doctor's at children's hospital say that he is a model patient and an inspiration to other cancer patients at the hospital. Carter has a long road of recovery ahead of him. He will continue to do chemo for many months to ensure the cancer does not spread to any other bones in his body. It will take his leg up to 5 months to heal before he will be fitted for a prosthetic limb. He faces up to a year or more of physical therapy and has many life changes ahead of him for the rest of his life. Carter has been very confident and loves to hear that so many people are supporting him in his fight. People who have never met Carter are reaching out to him and that means more to him than he can express.

Carter after surgery.

Aside from Carter's cancer, my family is facing a very hard time financially. My dad had to quit working in order to take Carter to his appointments each week and shortly after that my Mom was forced to resign from her job due to her hips. She will need both of her hips replaced this year and will not be able to work until she is recovered from that. My family lives 2 hours away from Children's hospital so gas is a huge finance for them along with household bills such as rent, car payments, food, and utilities. My siblings and I have set up fundraisers within the community to help them get through this hard time. Any help for them would be greatly appreciated, even if it is just reaching out to them to show them that you care.

There will be a Zumba benefit for Carter on Tuesday June 5th from 6pm-7:30pm, admission is donation only and all proceeds will go to the Howard household. For more information on this event, please go to http://www.facebook.com/makesha.hays#!/events/418316364865778/ if you cannot make this event and would still like to donate you can also visit www.carterscancerfoundation.org. Every little bit is appreciated.