“We wouldn’t have the treatments available to Abbi if we didn’t have the research available,” – Becky, Abigail’s mom

Over 50 years ago, Becky Smith’s mother, Cheryl heard the words that defined much of her childhood: “You have cancer.” Nearly one year ago, Becky heard the words that will define much of her adulthood: “Your daughter Abbi has cancer.” Abbi and Cheryl’s diagnoses might be decades apart, but they remain intertwined nonetheless.

Like many childhood cancer diagnoses, Abbi’s started with something common, bleeding, followed by a common solution, antibiotics. Becky was insistent on having an ultrasound done, but their doctors wanted to see if the medicine would work first. Cheryl’s diagnosis kept coming to Becky’s mind though. After two days, they went in for an ultrasound and doctors found the mass.

As an adult oncology nurse, cancer is a daily part of Becky’s life, but that didn’t numb her to the situation. Just a short stint into her shift the day after the ultrasound, she broke down, and a co-worker told her to head home.

That didn’t provide comfort either though, as they immediately headed back to the ER when they saw Abbi’s bleeding hadn’t slowed. A whole host of hospital employees huddled around their bed upon arrival. That’s when Becky heard the same news that shattered her mother’s world so long ago, “Abbi has embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma.”

As they traveled from the ER to the chemotherapy floor, doctors put Becky in a wheelchair with Abbi on her lap. Becky wouldn’t have it though.

“I said no, I’m carrying my baby, but that walk up there was the hardest walk of my life,” said Becky. “I just kept thinking that this is where I work. I’m not supposed to be on this side of the bed, not for my baby girl.”

The moment remains etched in Becky’s memory.

“I knew the path that lay ahead of her and I just didn’t want to walk it,” said Becky. “But there’s no way around it, you have to go through it.”

Abbi’s treatment started with chemotherapy nearby at Dayton Children’s Hospital. By week 11 of her 43-week plan, they discovered the tumor had shrunk enough that they could start to remove it. During the procedure, doctors still found some live tumor, forcing them to remove part of her bladder to ensure nothing cancerous was left.

Thankfully, everything has proceeded as planned since then. Abbi bounces back quickly from regular chemotherapy, often with enough energy to still play with her five brothers. It’s been a difficult journey, but also a far cry from what Becky’s mom, Cheryl experienced.

Several years ago, Cheryl finally hit the 50-year mark of being cancer-free, a remarkable feat for someone diagnosed at a time with far fewer treatment options.

“They weren’t very good with the dosing and they only had a handful of chemos and radiation,” said Becky. “When she got radiation they burned everything, they weren’t site-specific and so she’s had some issues with that.”

Cheryl grew up in Michigan, but she had to travel across the entire state to reach the one medical center that offered her treatment. It was a lonesome experience. The hospital rarely allowed parents to visit, and they couldn’t stay long if they did. Usually, they dropped Cheryl off and came back to see her twice a week. Her sisters at home were scared too, often kept in the dark as to how Cheryl was doing.

“My mom remembers being very alone and scared when she was there for essentially six months,” said Becky. “She would come home every few weekends for a few days, but that was infrequent.”

Becky heard those tales her whole life, so one can only imagine her fear when envisioning Abbi going through a similar ordeal.

“Not only is the treatment better, but the family support, Abbi has never had to be at the hospital without Andrew or I,” said Becky.

Thankfully, Abbi and Cheryl’s connection has given everyone some unexpected comforts. For Becky, it was knowing firsthand what can happen when a child’s siblings aren’t kept in the loop. For Cheryl, Abbi’s diagnosis has helped her sort through some of the traumatic events that happened during her childhood.

Becky and her husband Andrew have also had to find ways to comfort Abbi’s brothers, Josiah, Zach, Timothy and Lucan. Beyond pizza parties at the hospital, they found another solution through Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s SuperSibs program.

“They were excited there was a program just for them,” said Becky. “That was a big deal for them to know that they had an important role in our family and that they would get some attention Abbi wouldn’t.”

The ripple effects from Abbi’s fight stretches across generations, from her grandmother down to her youngest sibling. Although memories of cancer may remain in their family’s lives, Becky is confident of one thing:

“We wouldn’t have the treatments available to Abbi if we didn’t have the research available,” said Becky. “Cancer treatment is so much better than what my mom had because of folks like Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation helping raise money to improve outcomes for kids.”