J.P. Tobin
On the night of February 6, 2002, 12-year-old J.P. Tobin gave his parents his usual good-night kiss before going to bed. At that moment, his parents noticed that his left jaw was slightly swollen. A trip to the pediatrician the following morning resulted in a diagnosis of nothing more than a swollen gland. However, within days, J.P. was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a childhood malignancy that occurs in about 200 children a year in the United States.
The next stop for J.P. and his family was the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate. “So many things were going through our minds,” said Ketra Tobin, J.P’s mother. “What in the world were we doing there, how did we get there and most importantly, why was this happening?”
J.P.’s treatment began with surgery to remove the tumor, followed by a year of chemotherapy and six weeks radiation. In March, 2003, a year after his treatment began, his cancer was in remission.
J.P. graduated from grade school that May and started high school at Peoria Notre Dame in the fall. After a successful cross country and swim season, a routine MRI showed the tumor had returned. He would once again endure even harsher chemotherapy medications, radiation and surgery.
Since December 2004, J.P. has been in remission. His recovery is due in part to the blood and platelet transfusions he received during his treatment.
“Our family extends our sincere appreciation to all the blood donors that gave our son the gift of life,” said Mrs. Tobin. “It is amazing to see the life that emerges in a child once they receive a unit of blood or platelets. To go from a listless, lifeless child in the morning to a child full of energy, ready to play a basketball game that same evening seems like a miracle.”
In addition to their gratefulness to blood donors, the Tobin family also thanks the many businesses that allow employees to donate and organizations that provide locations for blood drives to take place.