Kid Warrior. Childhood Champion
Martti (McMurry) Blankenship was first diagnosed with cancer on October 3, 2009, at the age of 15. She had stage III fibrolamellar hepatocellularcarcinoma, which is a rare form of liver cancer according to www. cancer.gov because it forms in healthy livers. It often forms in teenagers and adults under 40 years old. After a devastating phone call from her doctor, Martti’s dad, Tony McMurry, delivered the news. “Surprisingly I did not cry. I remember saying something like, ‘Okay, so now what do we do?” Martti remembered being more worried about missing school than the events that would soon take place. As a sophmore at Texas High, she was involved with marching band and the dance/drill team. She didn’t want to miss any games or practices, but it was best for her to stay home during her treatments. Shortly after her diagnosis, she had surgery to remove her gall bladder and 60% of her liver. She began chemotherapy which made her feel sick a lot, but she looked at the time in the hospital with her dad by her side as a silver lining. “My dad and I spent a lot of the time in the hospital watching our favorite TV show, Friends.” She struggled with retaining friends from school during this time, too. She felt like it may have been hard for other kids to understand what she was going through. “Maybe they just did not know how to interact with me. However, the amount of people I gained support from during that time grew tenfold,” Martti remembered.
She went into remission in February 2010. Shortly after that, Martti moved to Killeen, Texas to live with her mother, Kristen Edwards. She continued to live cancer free. In September 2010, she started dating Zach Blankenship not knowing that in just one short month she would receive another heartbreaking diagnosis. Her cancer had relapsed, but this time it was stage IV. She knew what the road ahead had in store for her. She underwent more chemo, and another surgery to remove the tumors located in her abdomen followed by chemo again. The treatment during her second diagnosis was more difficult than the first. It took a toll on her mentally, emotionally, and physically in a completely different way than the first time. “I was scared because I knew what I had to go through again. I had just grown my hair out long enough to not have to wear a hat or a wig,” Martti said. And this time I had a boyfriend, so I did not know how he would react.”
At 16 years old, Zach stood by Martti’s side through it all. During this round of treatment, she recieved a portable chemo pump that she kept in a little purse. I was able to spend more time with Zach outside of a hospital. In July of the following year, Martti was once again in remission. She has been cancer free ever since.
Two years ago Martti decided to give back to the cancer community by volunteering at Camp Dreamcatcher, a camp through Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Temple, TX. “It is a week-long camp for kids with cancer and their siblings. The kids can just be kids,” Martti said. “They get to do things they would not usually be able to do like a high-ropes course, horseback riding, and zip lining.” Martti’s knows first hand how those kids at Camp Dreamcatcher feel and that makes being their advocate a truly rewarding experience. Although it has been 13 years since she had cancer, Martti continues to have yearly scans for her own peace of mind. “Even though it was the toughest time of my life, I would not change anything because it has made me the fighter and hard worker that I am today. ” Martti has a little advice for any child going through cancer and the parents who stand beside them. “Talk about your hopes and fears, whether it is with your parents or close friends. Find humor inwhatever you can because laughter really is the best medicine. Hug your parents often because even though they might not show it, they are scared too. Always remember you are not alone, so lean on your loved ones during the times you are not able to stand on your own. Always keep fighting. You are strong.”
And for the parents: “You will be focused on your child’s health and doctor’s appointments, but remember they are kids and they want to feel as normal as possible. Let their little fingers get dirty and let them paint or play in the makeup, even if you just disinfected the counters 50 times. Let them eat whatever they feel like eating because a lot of the time, they may not be able to keep anything down, so let them enjoy it. If they are homebound, let them call their friends on the phone because they might be missing out on big moments like a homecoming dance, games, dance competitions, or their
senior prom. Let them enjoy as many of the big and little moments as possible. But most importantly, take care of yourselves too.”
By Katie Stone
