Ep. 55: Childhood Leukemia: A Mother's Journey with Sharon Bryant Baumgarten

Sharon Bryant Baumgarten will never forget the exact moment she received the life-changing news that her 9 year old son, David, had leukemia. The whirlwind diagnosis took their family on a journey through the struggles of cancer and its treatments, especially on a young child. In this episode, Sharon — a retired educator, mother of two, and now a grandmother — is sharing her experiences as the mother of a survivor of high-risk Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). She shares with us how the cancer journey inspired her son David (and their family) to live life fully, the power of community and philanthropy, as well as the lessons she learned about overcoming challenges to find purpose in the face of hardship.  We're diving into:   What surprised Sharon the most when she first walked into the children's oncology office Small yet powerful ways the community reached out to help create normalcy for David and his family (and why Sharon always accepted help, even when she didn't think she needed it) How Sharon overcame the challenges of getting David back to school The people also impacted by a cancer journey who are often overlooked The unexpected family addition that gave David and his family companionship, responsibility, and purpose The 3 most important lessons Sharon learned on the cancer journey with David Where is he now? Sharon shares about David's recovery, accomplishments, and endeavors to continue to be involved in philanthropy The many ways the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) made an impact on David's cancer journey, and how the organization continues to lead the way in research And much more!   Get involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by visiting their website: https://www.lls.org   Follow me on Instagram to get the latest updates on the podcast: https://www.instagram.com/thejennifercochran/   Continue the conversation in my free private Facebook group, Surviving is JUST the Beginning: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SurvivingisJUSTtheBeginning/ Join me for a Coffee Chat here: https://fitnessdesignsolutions.as.me/CoffeeChat