“We’re only going to thrive as a family after going through this.” – Bhavika, Kabir’s mom

Fighting cancer, and facing its heartbreak, runs in the Taunk family. Bhavika’s sister, cousin, father and even their dog, all faced the disease at one time or another. Unfortunately, it cost Bhavika’s cousin her life. Today, she’s intent on making sure it doesn’t cost her son, Kabir, his.

With a taste for the finer things in life, including a love of salmon and luscious raspberry tarts, Kabir isn’t your typical 6 year old. He finds plenty of childlike interests too though, from video games to the zoo and roller coasters. However, those key bits of childhood were thrown into turmoil after a series of peculiar injuries.

First, Kabir’s wrist hurt for no apparent reason. Then came the fevers, varied, painful and inconsistent. His asthma was worse than ever, keeping him out of school for up to a week at a time. Bhavika felt something wasn’t right, she just couldn’t understand what.

“He’s not recovering like a 4-year-old body should after an illness, it just gave me a bad feeling,” said Bhavika.

They went to the doctor, insistent on taking tests to discover what may be wrong with Kabir’s body. Finally, they had an answer, although not one their family was ready to face: acute lymphoblastic leuekemia. They took an ambulance over to Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital, where Kabir’s aunt (who beat her own cancer diagnosis) works as an oncologist.

“The whole first week they kept saying because they caught it so early and there were no childhood leukemia cases in our family, there was a slim chance it was high risk,” said Bhavika. “That’s all we kept saying, please let this be the 95% curable kind. Then of course, it wasn’t.”

Disrupting the typical rhythms of childhood with a cancer diagnosis is difficult enough, but Kabir’s fight also forced his family to uproot their whole lives for his care.

“We had to live within 30 minutes of the hospital to be treated because he was high-risk, so basically Kabir, my son Ayaan and husband, Mandeep, had to pack up overnight and leave home,” said Bhavika. “We never went back, we ended up selling our old house and living at Ronald McDonald.”

Eventually they purchased a home nearby, but Kabir still needed any help his family could muster. One of those sources came from his younger brother Ayaan. Brotherly infighting was a common occurrence, but Kabir’s fight brought them closer together. They love to joke around, and Ayaan was always there to comfort Kabir during tough times in the hospital.

“Ayaan would bring an Ipad or a toy when Kabir goes through labs, and he’ll say, ‘Kabir look here,’ to distract him,” said Bhavika. “He always felt that Kabir didn’t cry when he was there. The only time I would see Kabir light up and be a kid is when his brother would walk into the room.”

Kabir also suffers from Philadelphia chromosome, a genetic abnormality often found in kids with his cancer type. That threw another issue into the proceedings, forcing them to customize his treatment.

“It’s a whole new protocol. It is more intensive and that’s the reason we weren’t allowed to go far away,” said Bhavika.

Despite the eight months he spent inpatient, Kabir never lost his loving attitude. His family knows there’s still a ways to go before Kabir is officially a survivor, even after treatment completes in May 2019. For now, they’re enjoying how he has improved between returning to school, growing his hair back and looking more energetic.

Even with the fear of a relapse, their whole perspective on enjoying life has changed.

“For Ayaan and Kabir, they’re happy and healthy. I really could not care beyond that,” said Bhavika. “Your appreciation for life is very different after something like this.”

With cancer so prevalent in their family, they’re also focused on creating a healthier future for Kabir and kids everywhere with this disease. The importance of research isn’t lost on them.

“I really believe where the future of cancer treatment is research and funding, it’s the only way to advance this science,” said Bhavika. “It means so much to me and has affected so many people in my life.”

It’s also why Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s mission resonates so much with them.

“It means hope that one day, cancer won’t mean three years of your life. It means hope for better medicine, more funding and shorter treatments with less side effects.”