Following five months of intense chemotherapy, radiation therapy and a bone marrow transplant, a 10-year-old Kamma Park cancer survivor and his mother were welcomed home by more than 30 friends and family – some shavenheaded to pledge support – at the Port Elizabeth Airport on Saturday.
Setting foot in the Bay for the first time since they left for Cape Town in December last year, Trystin Stevens and his mother Melanie reacted with beaming smiles to the cheers, balloons and “welcome home” banners flying at the airport.
Trystin was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in September last year after experiencing problems with vision in both eyes, weight loss and slowly becoming pale.
The diagnosis was confirmed after test results showed a presence of 582 white blood cells, a massive rise from the five to 10 cells in a normal human being.
The little boy was immediately admitted for treatment at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town and he responded promptly to the treatment there, returning home on remission within a month.
“He was expected to go into remission in three months but he surprised the doctors and reacted quickly to treatment and they were ready to come home by the end of October,” his father Brendon said on Saturday.
But Trystin collapsed in December, and following this he had to return to Cape Town for improved treatment which included a bone marrow transplant after chemotherapy, at Netcare Kuilsriver Hospital.
After a slow search for a bone marrow match, Trystin’s sister Summer, 11, donated her stem cells via a haploidentical transplant in April.
“Summer was glad to be her brother’s hero and braved her major fear of needles,” Brendon said.
Since her son’s diagnosis, Melanie has been doing her job as an office manager for a construction company remotely from Cape Town, by her son’s side. “It’s been a difficult experience that I don’t ever wish on any mother, but going through this with my son has definitely made me stronger and has brought us closer together as a family even though we spent a lot of time apart.
“It just helps to stay positive and pray to keep his spirits up,” she said.
Trystin’s Lorraine Primary School Grade 4 classmates and friends shaved off their hair in support of Trystin, whom they had not seen since September last year when they were in Grade 3.
While he has been declared cancer-free, Trystin must have blood tests every two months.
An ecstatic Trystin, who could only formulate the word “good” to describe his feelings through his grin, said the reception he received had made him feel like a celebrity.