Prince Liam The Brave

I admire my friend Marci Glotzer’s running of all her NYCM with Fred’s Team (named after the late NYCM founder Fred Lebow, who passed away of cancer) in support of The Aubrey (about Aubrey Barr) Fund for Pediatric Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). It’ll be Marci’s 3rd NYCM this November and this time around she’s running it in support of a little boy. His name is Liam Witt and he was diagnosed with a type of cancer called Neuroblastoma. He has been bravely fighting this deadly cancer with the help of friends all over the world since February of 2007. Liam has gone through nearly a year of aggressive treatment that included chemotherapy, surgery to remove the tumor in his abdomen, radiation, and is currently receiving 3f8 antibody therapy at MSKCC in New York City.

Liam’s parents, Larry and Gretchen, maintain a blog to provide the latest status on Liam's health and progress. will be posting good news and any concerns related to Liam's battle with this disease. It’s difficult not to be moved by the bravery of the Witts in facing this very difficult challenge to a boy who is not even 5. It gave me an insight to how busy parents cope while maintaining a brave and positive front for their children (Liam has a younger sister Ella, who adores him). I can’t pretend to understand fully the complications, heartache that this disease brings but when it happens to kids, it digs even deeper into me. Liam may be 4 but in my books he towers in bravery. Here’s an excerpt of one of the postings by his Mom.

“Liam just finished throwing up for the third time in an hour. Chemo throw up for Liam is a total body experience…it sounds like his toes are throwing up and every vertebrae in his back. It comes out his nose. He makes an awful wretching sound. He spits frantically to clear the throw up from his mouth while whimpering “there’s more – don’t move the bucket!” And over and over he says, “I don’t like throwing up. I don’t like it at all.” But tonight, after his third throw up session and before I had even wiped away the combo of spit, he raised his head from the throw up bucket and said in a cautiously excited voice, “Mommy – One plus one is two! And two plus two is four!” And as soon as I had him cleaned up, he curled into me and started picking out the letters he recognized on the front page of the newspaper. “Mommy – There’s my letter – and L. And that letter is for dog it’s a, a, a, D! And that’s my other letter…a W. Over there is a snake letter. What’s it’s name again?” The effects of the anti-nausea pill are finally setting in and he’s asleep covered in a Batman blanket that arrived yesterday and surrounded by little puppy, big puppy, monkey puppy, duck puppy, super soft yellow blankie and pilly the pillow which has the ever-present magic rock attached to it and a new addition, a lucky stone passed along from Aunt Franny’s son Ben.”

Liam may be a world away but there are no boundaries for cancer. The disease can strike anywhere and anyone. Cancer is the global war. The doctors and researchers are doing a heroic job in the fight, but they also need our help. If you’re moved, you can contribute to Marci’s cause via MSKCC’s secure website here. You can donate any amount via credit card.