X

On a hot summer day at Grandma and Grandpa’s place, all the grandkids would soon be romping and playing in the splash pad.

Three-year-old Asher Ladd would not be able to join the fun with his young cousins...it was doctor’s orders.

Before the fun began, Justin and Chasity Ladd would say their goodbyes for the day, load Asher and his younger brother Ezra into the car and head home.

It was just one of many difficult things they have had to do during their son’s treatment.

Asher was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in the summer of 2018 when he was only 17 months old.

It was a normal day, Chasity said. Asher was taking antibiotics for an ear infection when she noticed the left side of his face was red and seemed almost “frozen or paralyzed.”

Later at the emergency room of Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center, the doctors told them Asher had an ear infection and, coupled with excess wax in the ear, it could be pressing on a nerve, resulting facial paralysis.

Lab results proved otherwise.

Over the next six months, Asher would spend most of that time in the hospital receiving treatments to eliminate the cancer in his tiny body. His treatment consisted of five consecutive cycles of chemotherapy and during that time Asher would undergo numerous medical procedures including bone marrow aspirations, spinal taps, insertion of nasogastric tubes and a central line to administer chemotherapy drugs and other medication.

The treatment to save his life was hard on his body, but necessary.

Fever, nausea, vomiting and lack of appetite would wreak havoc on his tiny body, leading to loss of precious weight, as well as other side effects.

However, Asher’s body responded as it should to the chemotherapy and the cancer was being destroyed, Chasity said.

It was a difficult time and Chasity recalled a very frightening day when Asher developed a dangerously high fever and went into septic shock and had to be transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit.

On that same day, thieves broke into their vehicle, stole multiple items and, with their personal information, broke into their home in Okarche also, even stealing some of Asher’s medical supplies.

“That was an incredibly difficult day,” she said.

Asher recovered fairly quickly from the septic shock and continued rounds of chemotherapy.

As Asher continued his treatment, he began to develop close relationships with his nurses, which he calls “his people.”

They would take care of Asher’s medical needs, but also spent time playing with him and became close friends with Asher and his family.

After six long months and just shy of his second birthday, Asher rang the bell at the official cancer-free celebration with his family and staff of the 10th floor of Children’s Hospital.

As Asher was battling AML, Chasity was expecting another child who was born only weeks after Asher was released from the hospital.

They welcomed their second son, Ezra, on Jan. 12, 2019, and were ready to put that difficult chapter of their lives behind them, Chasity said.

And they did for a little more than a year.

The family of four began to return to a semblance of normalcy. Asher was running, playing, shooting hoops, playing with his favorite toys: Hot Wheels, dinosaurs and his favorite, sharks.

In early March of 2020, Chasity said she and Justin noticed Asher was having some difficulty with his speech and possibly showing some facial paralysis again, only this time it was on the right side.

Asher was scheduled for regular blood work soon and an MM was also done.

“We had promised Asher we would go to the zoo after he had his blood work done, but the MM results would change everything from that day forward,” Chasity said.

The results showed a “lemon-size tumor” in now 3-year-old Asher’s brain.

It was devastating news for the Ladds.

The doctors were able to get a game plan together quickly and after the initial reaction to the news, Justin said, “We were ready to fight and our thoughts transitioned to, ‘God you’ve got this!”

“We saw how God answered our prayers and other people’s prayers for Asher before and we knew he could bring healing to Asher again,” Chasity said.

Doubt and worry crept in occasionally and there were scary times, the Ladds said, but they continued to cling to a special Bible verse: Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

So, with the doctors’ guidance, they started another difficult chapter.

One week after the MRI, Asher would undergo brain surgery to remove the tumor, followed by more chemotherapy.

As he began his first cycle, a strong drug was needed to start destroying all the cancer cells within his small body.

“It was the hardest chemotherapy he had and it was critical that his body respond, so a bone marrow transplant could occur,” Chasity said.

The harsh drug caused extreme effects on Asher’s system.

“The first cycle was really hard on Asher,” Justin said. “He crashed hard and at about day 10, he didn’t get out of bed for 21 days.”

This time, there were bigger challenges in more ways than one.

The pandemic was just beginning in March and though Justin and Chasity were able to stay at their little boy’s side during the most difficult chemotherapy cycle, future restrictions would limit only one parent being present.

Much of that time only Chasity would be with Asher, although they were allowed to switch out later during treatment.

“Asher didn’t understand and just wanted us both to be with him,” Chasity added.

It was difficult not having Justin there and not being able to see Ezra either, she said.

When Asher finally began to recover from cycle one, the second cycle was next, then proton therapy and a final round of highdose chemo before the bone marrow/stem cell transplant could take place.

A donor match would need to be found.

Fortunately, when Ezra was born a few weeks after Asher had been initially declared cancer-free, the Ladds chose to have Ezra’s cord blood stored on the remote chance they would need his stem cells in the future.

They did need them and they turned out to be a perfect match.

“It is neat to know that Ezra was a perfect match for Asher when a sibling usually only has a 25 percent chance of matching,” Chasity said.

“God designed both brothers and it is amazing to see how Ezra was that perfect match.”

As the stem cell infusion began, a frightening complication occurred, Justin said. Asher had an allergic reaction to a preservative in the cord blood, went into anaphylactic shock and had to be transferred to the ICU.

Asher recovered from the severe reaction and then it became a waiting game to see if the transplant would graft successfully.

During that time, as well as from the day he returned for treatment, he spent his days with his nurses, aka “his people,” and rekindled those friendships. They not only took care of his physical needs, but spent time shooting hoops, playing with sharks and sharing love and laughter with their buddy.

The doctors had told the Ladds that an average of 40-60 days in the hospital is normal while the transplant is in the initial stages of grafting.

Asher left the hospital in 28 days.

“The doctor said it was the quickest he had ever seen a graft take place from cord blood at OU Children’s Hospital,” Justin said.

Even though Asher was able to come home in August, he still had a feeding tube in his nose, a central line which required careful cleaning and monitoring, as well as multiple medications to take every day. He would also continue low-dose chemotherapy treatment on an outpatient basis.

But he was home.

The family was back together.

Asher was able to play outside, but he couldn’t get wet or sweaty because of his central line. He could play on the slide at the park, Chasity said, but only after they had thoroughly sanitized it from top to bottom.

He could play with his little brother, his favorite Hot Wheel toys, a green dinosaur Asher named Thiotepa (after a chemotherapy drug) and, of course, sharks, hammerheads specifically.

Although Asher was able to do more of the things little boys like to do, his parents had the extra responsibilities of taking care of his medical needs, such as caring for his central line and nose tube, among other things.

Now that Asher is almost 4 years old, he has been able to understand more and communicate better, Chasity said.

When he would get hot, she said, “Asher would say, ‘Mommy, I’m getting sweaty, we have to go in.’”

In one instance Chasity recalled, while having to remove his nose tube, Asher said, “Mommy, go slow so it doesn’t make me choke.”

“He has gotten so big and is so brave,” she said. “I’m super impressed with him.”

After having his central line removed in September, Chasity remembered how Asher excitedly said, “Mommy, I can get sweaty now!”

Asher is beginning to eat better, recently had his nose tube removed and will continue with outpatient chemotherapy until February. The doctors continue to monitor the results of the transplant process, Chasity said, and it has been very positive.

“From all the feedback we have received from the doctors, Asher has responded the best possible way he could have,” Chasity said.

Both Chasity and Justin expressed their deep appreciation for all the support their family has received throughout Asher’s treatment.

“We are so thankful for the prayers people offered up when we had urgent prayer requests and so thankful that Asher’s bone marrow transplant has been successful,” Justin said.

They said people have helped their family in so many different ways and are forever grateful.

The future looks good, but long-term complications can occur from the treatment, Chasity said and “We don’t know what the short-term or longterm looks like, but our time on earth is a gift and we are thankful.”

During the hardest treatment cycle, Asher received a gift he couldn’t wait to share with “his people.”

Make-A-Wish Foundation approved Asher’s wish to visit a large aquarium in Georgia filled with all kinds of sea creatures and sharks.

“During cycle one Asher never got out of bed, but the most excited he got during that time was talking about going to the aquarium and asking his nurses to come with him,” Chasity said.

With COVID, it may be 2022 before that happens, she added.

In the meantime, Asher continues to run and play, share hugs and kisses with mommy and daddy, play with his little brother and... get as sweaty as he wants.