 |
| Contributed Photo Four-year-old Kearston Albert lets cancer know what she thinks about it as she poses with a couple members of “Team Kearston,” her pediatric oncologist, Dr. Sam Lew, and her mother, Sheri Albert. |
By Lisa Wilcox
Staff Writer
FORT KENT — By all accounts, Kearston Albert is your typical 4-year-old. She enjoys running around with her pets and her brother and sister and playing on her tablet. Her favorite character is Stitch from “Lilo and Stitch.” But there is one major element in Kearston’s life that separates her from other children her age: she is currently doing battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common type of cancer found in children.
What started as a persistent fever turned out to be the Albert family’s worst nightmare when Kearston was diagnosed with the disease on Aug. 28 of last year. Her ALL levels were considered very high risk, so treatment began immediately on Aug. 29.
Since then, Kearston and her parents have been making periodic trips to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, the closest hospital with a child oncology unit, for 72-hour courses of treatment that consist of 24 hours of treatment, flushing the toxic medicine out of Kearston’s system the next day to avoid kidney damage, then another day of observation to make sure her little body is tolerating the ordeal it was just subjected to.
Cindy Johnson, CEO of The Cubby, a not-for-profit thrift store with locations in Caribou and Presque Isle, heard of Kearston’s story and chose her as the January Cubby Hero of the Month. As their monthly hero, The Cubby provided the Albert family with $100 to spend however they wish.
“Last year was a very challenging year for our heroes,” Johnson advised. “Many have had life-threatening surgeries, have undergone transplants which have required extended hospital stays and have been restricted to home and bed. For many of our heroes, including our own Kaleb “Cubby” Johnson, 2012 was a year of sacrifice, of time spent not with friends, participating in activities or simply doing the stuff most kids get to do. We commend not only these heroes for their sacrifice,” Johnson continued, “but also their parents, families and communities for steadfastly supporting them in their battle towards recovery and encourage all to continue to show their support through benefit supper attendance, monetary donations, emotional support and prayer.”
As one of the heroes Johnson spoke about, Kearston has indeed sacrificed normalcy in order to recover from her disease. She was not able to begin attending school because of her weakened immune system and susceptibility to ailments such as colds and flu. However, after another few months of treatment and then a shift into a maintenance routine, Kearston should be able to begin pre-K in the fall.
While Kearston is not cured, her mother, Sheri, advises she is currently in remission and all indications are she will not need a bone marrow transplant.
And how is the little one handling the situation?
“She’s doing well with it,” Sheri advises. “She’s a typical 4-year-old; she has her moods, but she’s been getting her way, so she’s happy as can be.”
