162: Bhavika Taunk cared for her son, diagnosed with leukemia | pediatric cancer

  For Bhavika Taunk, life took a radical turn in 2017 when her four-year-old son, Kabir, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  After a bone marrow transplant, he went on an aggressive chemotherapy regimen for two years.  Kabir relapsed twice, but has been in remission since 2020.  Bhavika tells the story of how she cared for her son and how she reaches out to other parents of children diagnosed with cancer.   Bhavika, her husband and two young sons returned from a Disney cruise in April 2017, and both sons felt sick.  While her two-year-old son soon got well, things went from bad to worse for four-year-old Kabir.  He complained of bone pain, first in his wrists, then his ankles, to the extent that he could not walk.  Then he suffered from intermittent fevers and appetite loss.   Kabir was taken to a hospital, where after blood tests, Bhavika was told that a bad virus had settled into her son's bone marrow and that he had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  She called her husband with the awful, collapsed on the floor and cried.  Bhavika said this was the most life-changing event of her life.   She went on to say the degree of helplessness accompanying such a diagnosis is overwhelming.  Up until Kabir's diagnosis, she thought she could fix anything in his life that presented a challenge.  Bhavika says the biggest lesson with a child's cancer diagnosis is the total lack of control and it is the worst imaginable feeling.   Bhavika says when caring for a child with cancer that words are very important.  She stresses that she doesn't believe in "hollow encouragement because it is very invalidating to the patient."  She says a parent cannot tell their cancer-stricken child that everything is going to be okay.   Kabir has been in remission since 2020, but still requires a great deal of attention and medical care.   Bhavika Taunk wants very much to come to the aid of parents of a child diagnosed with cancer.  She advocates for parents of Facebook and Instagram, while strenuously calling for increased funding for pediatric cancer patients.   Additional Resources:   Bhavika on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bhavika.v.taunk   Bhavika on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/btaunk/   Bhavika's small business supporting pediatric cancer: Birdsong Tea – Tea With A Purpose