Hudson's Journey
Hudson was born as a perfect and precious little boy. He was a gift so great and our affection for him was immeasurable. His strength was the kindness in his heart and his Love for Life was inconceivable. His sweet personality was balanced by his humor and silliness and his sincerity of others was evident in his kindness. His spirit was vibrant and his composure was echoed by his strong, willful character.
Hudson was diagnosed with Choriod Plexus Carcinoma, a rare and cancerous brain tumor, before he even took his first steps at the tender age of 10 months. A baseball sized mass was removed in its entirety and chemotherapy began shortly after. His body handled the six month treatment remarkably well but within just 10 weeks it had returned and metastasized to another area of his brain. Another five centimeters of tumor was removed and he again started chemotherapy, underwent two stem cell transplants and six weeks of localized radiation. Hudson was then put on a bio-agent and had no evidence of disease for nearly six months.
Tragedy struck again in the midst of Abella’s own battle with a cancerous brain tumor. Hudson ’s tumor recurred and metastasized measuring another five centimeters. At that point we had both of our sweet children battling cancer and admitted in the same hospital room. What kept us going…our desire to cure our children, bring them home and nurse them back to health. Following surgery our son completed another six week course of localized radiation and chemotherapy and we decided to enroll him in a Clinical Trial across the country. He handled all therapy with wonderment and his will to get back to a normal life was astounding. His blood counts did not recover and our dreams of starting life again were crushed. Hudson was diagnosed with MDS or pre-leukemia due to the enormous amount of therapy he had received. He was set to have a bone marrow transplant from a foreign donor hoping to renew his immune system and able his body to fight off cancer cells. A scan for the transplant told us his tumor had returned once again but this time it was in his brain AND in his spine. Our worst fears were handed to us that Hudson should no longer endure anymore treatment. He had been dealt one mischance after another and his unwavering spirit, willful character, motivation and dignity proved to us the true meaning of perseverance.
Sadly, Hudson lost his nearly three year battle with cancer on June 16th 2008. We will miss his smile, his big baby blues, the sound of his cheerful greetings, the warmth of his hugs and the comfort of his kissies. Our hearts are filled with special keepsakes and these loving memories will be solace for our grief. Hudson ’s journey will continue to influence thousands of people although he is no longer with us. His name will be cherished and represent triumph and tragedy. The beauty of his soul will shine on and our dream is to keep that spirit alive. We had the privilege of his presence for 1,262 days. Although he is gone too soon his Love will always beat in our hearts.
Forever In Our Hearts…Forever 3.
