Connor Licamele
Connor was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumor (Kidney Cancer) at 4 1/2 years old, Since that time we still continue our fight EVERYDAY, Things are easier, things get better….but Childhood Cancer always remains and the affects it brought with it remain as well.
Connor continues to fight the battle of the long term side effects daily, his stomach issues seem to be continuously worse which bring additional testing and medicines, as well as his short term memory, causing school to be a continuous struggle and effort for him.
“Cancer has become more a part of Connor’s life, remembering and talking about it more often than not.”
Cancer has become more a part of Connor’s life, remembering and talking about it more often than not. His curiosity about this disease leaves him with many questions, but I believe this only makes Connor fight to remain stronger every day.
Connor continues to go to Upstate Medical/Golisano Children’s Hospital every 3 months for check-ups and scans, In May Connor will have his 3 years Off Treatment scan day, if it continues to show NO EVIDENCE of DISEASE, he will move up to every 6 months, A huge feat and day that I have anxiously awaited!
An Important Update
Connor has officially declared a survivor when he recently hit the 10-year mark from Diagnosis. Connor pulls such strength from his cancer journey and carries it through his everyday life. He has realized as he’s gotten older how brave and strong you have to be to get through all that, and I’m so grateful for that strength!
Connor continues to be in special classes due to his memory function, which has made school and social life difficult, but even now as a freshman in HS his learning and ability to retain things have improved greatly. He continues to be in an out of the hospital, not all due to cancer but because of cancer we found other things that Connor needed, and for that we are thankful. This is forever with us and forever a part of Connor now, but he is finally learning not to let Cancer define who he is, and just let it be a part of WHO he is. We may not have known it in the moment or at the time, but he’s realized, and I most certainly have realized that his journey, as rough as it was, was one of the lucky ones.
“This is forever with us and forever a part of Connor now, but he is finally learning not to let Cancer define who he is, and just let it be a part of who he is. “
