saved my life
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY
K
aren Livinggood was living what she called the “perfect” life. After deciding fashion design school was not for her, she got married and started a family in Bismarck, ND. She and her husband had five children, who kept her busy. “Our home was always full of kids – our children, neighbor kids, and my daycare children.” She said there were times she would wish for a “real” job with adults to talk to, but with no resume or experience and five beautiful children at home, running her daycare and staying home made her happy. It seemed like just another picturesque fall day when everything changed. Livinggood was in the kitchen, waiting for her children to come home from school. Her middle child, Casey, had just started kindergarten and was first to get home. “Like many parents, I picked him up and sat him on the counter so I could hug him and he could show me his school papers. It is one moment in my life I will never forget. When I hugged him, I could smell something in his ear. I couldn’t describe it. It was just something different, and for whatever reason, I would not let it go,” she said. She took him to every ear, nose, and throat doctor in Bismarck. “They all thought I was crazy and prescribed antibiotics, I think just to appease me,” Livinggood said. She was determined to find someone who believed her and took her son to Fargo. She found Dr. Steven Spotts, who immediately sent them to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, where Casey was diagnosed with Stage III Rhabdomyosarcoma, a fast-growing cancer that affects children. There he had his first of many spinal taps, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments. 17
Momentum
Before the diagnosis, Casey was an adventurous young boy with a lot of energy. He had blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He loved motorcycles and spending time at the family farm. “Soon, his beautiful blonde hair disappeared, and his eyes weren’t as true blue as they once were,” Livinggood said. However, he never complained. “He just was so accepting,” she said. “It was incredible. He never complained about the chemo and radiation, even though he’d be wiped out and vomiting. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I thought it was normal, how calm he was, but most kids scream and cry – that’s normal. He was so brave.” Casey asked his mother what would happen if the cancer didn’t go away. “We talked about it,” Livinggood said. “He wasn’t afraid of anything.” His immune system was compromised, and his energy was gone. The family pets had to be rehomed, and Livinggood ended the daycare she ran for 15 years.
