F E AT U R E
Life-Changing Experience Sykes family expands as AF family steps up BY MICHELLE MARTIN 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
Zoey Sykes, left, and her sisters, Aspen and baby Layla, sit together for this Sykes family photo. (Sykes family/Submitted)
T Zoey Sykes reads a book at an Arizona hospital while undergoing treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a rare form of cancer, in this Sykes family photo. She was diagnosed on World Cancer Day, February 4, 2021, and while the Sykes family’s journey has been challenging, it has also revealed how big the Air Force family can be. (Sykes family/Submitted)
he past 15 months or so have been a whirlwind of emotions, doctors appointments, heartaches and setbacks for the Sykes family. It’s been one of perseverance, discovery and victories. It’s also been an opportunity of self-reflection, that his bad days really aren’t that bad. “Hearing the words, ‘your child has leukemia,’ has cut to a place I didn’t know existed in me,” says Staff Sgt. James Sykes, a recently graduated Sheppard NCO Academy student, when asked about having a daughter with cancer. January 28, 2021 was a normal evening in the Sykes family household at Luke Air Force Base. James, an F-35 integrated avionics craftsman, had come home to wife, Jessica, then eight months pregnant, and their two daughters, Aspen, 5, and Zoey, 2. That’s the night life changed for Zoey and the Sykes Family. During what was supposed to be a typical night of dinner, playing with the kids and nighttime routines, Zoey developed a significant nosebleed, which turned into a long and challenging road for the Sykes. It also opened their eyes to the tremendous network of support from a MAY/JUNE 2022 |
Sound of Freedom
31
