Cheyanna Vogeler thought she and her family were out of the woods when she was told by doctors that there was no more evidence of disease or cancer in her son’s body back in November 2015. In October of 2014, he had been diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
However, just a couple of weeks ago, on February 25th, a nightmare became a reality. The cancer had returned.
“I threw out all my cancer stuff away, I didn’t think it was going to come back,” said Vogeler.
Next Monday, the now three-year-old will restart chemo for another nine months. Vogeler says it could be longer than that though, given how prone her son has become to infections, but despite everything, Maverick remains in good spirits. He loves to run around his living room, playing with his dinosaurs, cars and his grandmother, who he sweetly refers to as “my Amy.”
“He’s attached to me by the hip 24/7 at home and in the hospital,” said Amy Wylie, Maverick’s grandmother, as Maverick cuddled up in her lap. “It’s really hard to see him suffer so much, but I know that God has a plan, and I’m always just here to be here for whatever they need. I’ll be here with him through all of it.”
When Maverick isn’t playing with his toys or catching up on Playhouse Disney’s “Bubble Guppies,” he enjoys a simple game of Patty Cake with his home health nurse, Karen Storie.
“He’s a fighter,” said Storie. “He has such a great attitude for a 3-year-old. He’s just a big ray of sunshine.”
Although the next several months will prove to be a trying time for the family, they are greatly looking forward to May, when the entire family will get to take a trip to California and visit Disneyland thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Maverick says he’s can’t wait to meet Mickey Mouse and Mater from Cars.
“He needs to go, he needs to enjoy himself,” said Vogeler.
Vogeler says her hope is that stories like Maverick’s will help bring attention to more children in Lubbock who are currently undergoing childhood cancer.
“A lot of people don’t think that childhood cancer happens right here in the South Plains, but if you were to walk down the pediatric floor, it is downright sad to see how many kids are affected by childhood cancer here in Lubbock.”
Vogeler says that while she had the option to take Maverick several other places in Texas for treatment, she knew she wanted to stay in Lubbock.
“We love all the nurses at UMC, Maverick has one who he calls his ‘girlfriend,’ Courtney,” said Vogeler, holding up a picture of the two, as a blushing Maverick sits on her lap. “I said I want to stay here if they can treat him here in Lubbock.”
And while she’s greatly enjoyed her experience with the doctors and nurses at University Medical Center, she’s reminded of how painful life has become for her family.
“It’s not easy to go through, but you have to fight through and do it,” said Vogeler through tears. “It’s not a fun battle. You spend all your life in the hospital, eating hospital food. Your best friends are nurses and doctors. Your speed dial is your oncologist, or your pediatrician.”
She says that it’s Maverick’s positivity and love for life that inspires her to get through the tough times.
“I just do it. You have to suck it up and do it.”
Due to the additional medical expenses, and her having to stay at home with Maverick from work, Ms. Vogeler says she and her family could really use support from their community as the family takes on their latest battle with Maverick’s cancer.
If you would like to make a donation to Maverick’s family, you are encouraged to visit the family’s gofundme page: https://www.gofundme.com/verjfqns
To keep up with Maverick and his journey, you can also visit his Facebook page, here: https://www.facebook.com/maverickscancerfight/?fref=ts