Before Max was diagnosed, I didn’t really understand what Childhood Cancer Awareness Month meant. It came and went like every other “awareness month.” I didn’t know the gold ribbon. I didn’t know the 8% statistic.

When Max was first diagnosed and in the hospital, I remember the silence in the room. Then a child life therapist handed Max a toy. A yellow Cocomelon school bus, to be exact.

It all started with a cold. Max had been sick for a few days, and that cold turned into the flu. After visiting the pediatrician’s office all week, I thought he’d turn the corner. A temperature of 104.6 degrees led us to take him to Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge, IL.