Major Schneider was born on July25, 2001. What a wonderful gift we were given a healthy baby boy. Major was a very happy and delightful baby. He kept growing like a weed. His Doctor always said he was a long and lean machine. Major's fight began late in November of 2002 when he developed a lump on his neck. Two weeks went by and the lump doubled in size. In early December, he was admitted to Children's Hospital in Milwaukee where he was diagnosed with a rare and highly aggressive form of childhood cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. The doctors surgically removed 85% of the tumor in Major's neck for biopsy purposes. Following more tests, a large tumor was discovered in Major's pelvic area. Which at that time was too large to remove. It also was discovered that the cancer had attacked Major's bone marrow. Major is classified as Stage 4. Which means the cancer has gone from one half of his body into the other, in addition to also being in his bone marrow.
Major is scheduled for 44 weeks of chemotherapy at Children's Hospital. Every third treatment Major is hospitalized for 24 hours, to receive a larger dose of chemo. I have taken an indefinite leave of absence from work to care for Major. Major experiences many side affects from the chemotherapy, but still he continues to be a happy and playful little boy. Major's strength should be an inspiration to all.
Major has just completed 6 weeks of daily radiation therapy, which included sedation, in order to keep him perfectly still. We have further tests scheduled for the end of June to check on the status of the tumors. God willing everything will have been destroyed by the chemotherapy drugs. We have chemotherapy sessions scheduled through the end of October.