Celebrating a Christmas miracle for one of our own Dickinson ISD families
The word Miracle is used many different ways during the Christmas season, but for the Lankford family it's a word that is more special than ever before. It is also a story of how the Dickinson ISD family came together to support one of its own families in need.
Claire Lankford, 4, the daughter of Patricia Lankford and Kevin Lankford, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma in July 2012 at age 3. After what they thought was just a bout with pneumonia, scans later revealed a large mass behind her lungs that was causing her to have trouble breathing. That mass turned out to be cancer.
"The danger was it was pushing against her heart and causing cardiovascular issues, so treatment had to start immediately," Patricia (Trish as she is known to most people) said. "It was such a devastating blow to us, but we knew we had to act fast and so the doctors admitted her to Texas Children's Medical Center and we started chemotherapy right away. There was no other option."
At the same time all this occurred, Trish and Kevin were preparing to get their campuses ready for the new school year. They both were principals in Dickinson ISD. There were staffs to hire, campus plans to get ready for and teacher schedules to work out, just to name a few of the tasks at hand. At the same time, Claire had to have treatments every day and someone had to be with her during all of that time.
"I'll have to say it was really a juggle for us during that time," Trish said. "We had to be with her during the treatments and we needed to be at our campuses. Even as the school year started, most of the time we spent half a day at our schools and the other at the hospital at first and then we would switch out. There were so many times I would come to my office and try to get work done, but my mind was still at the hospital. I missed 35 days of school."
Trish said there is no way she could have gotten through it without the support of a great district and the staff at her campus. The employees at both Hughes Road Elementary and Dunbar Middle School (where Kevin was principal) stepped up to the plate and helped organize fundraisers and other ways to support the family.
"They really were my lifeline," she said. "There is no way I could have gotten through this without the support of our district staff. They were the best."
The entire district got involved by purchasing t-shirts and participating in a big fundraiser hosted by McRee Ford in Dickinson. Dickinson ISD employees served meals and donated items for a silent auction and then hundreds of employees and community members came out on a rainy day and bought meals and bid on auction items.
"I thank God for all the kindness from the staff in Dickinson ISD. There were many days when I did not have a smile. But I could always count on Dickinson ISD folks to give me one of theirs," said Kevin.
After 42 weeks of chemo treatments, in March of 2013, Claire was given a clean scan that showed no signs of the mass behind her chest, but there was still a climb ahead of her. "We had to get her strength and weight back," Trish said.
"She was being fed through tubes at the hospital so when we left, she weighed 24 pounds. They tried to tell me not to feed her real food. They said she wasn't ready for solid foods. I knew better. When we got home I cooked a huge meal and when she smelled it, she ate right away."
The other issue is that Claire had been isolated for almost a year and the doctors and her parents were not sure if she could be around other people because her immune system was so low.
"There were times we just had to get out of the house and we would go to Target late at night when we thought not many people would be there. Sometimes I might put a mask over her face and when I saw someone looking like they wanted to talk to us or get close to us, I would go the other way."
Trish describes it as a scary time because of the fear of Claire getting sick again. The doctors had told them there were no guarantees and she would be susceptible to infections.
"I mean when your daughter has just been through the battle of her life, we just didn't know, so we had to have faith that she was here for a much higher purpose and we had to trust the doctors," she said.
Since March, Claire's scans have been clean. She is back to her old self and at school with other kids every day in pre-kindergarten. Trish said Claire has taken some interest in sports and karate so they might sign her up next year.
"I won't say she likes getting up and going to school every day, because she would rather stay home and play, but she is getting used to it and knows she has to do it," Trish said.
Claire was granted a wish from the Make a Wish Foundation back in October and took a trip with her parents to Walt Disney World in Florida for seven days. At times she asks her parents about her illness and gets scared when she has to go to the doctor. But Trish says that they assure her that it's just a checkup and not a treatment.
Last week Claire asked Trish a really big question: was she going to die. "I was really just so shocked when she asked that," Trish said. "We had gone to First Baptist Church in Houston to see their Christmas Pageant and there was a little girl like her that Jesus healed in the show. Claire wanted to know if she got too sick and was going to die, if Jesus would heal her too."
"We have never lied to her about her illness and what could happen to her, so I told her Jesus had already healed her and that although nothing was guaranteed, at least for this Christmas, she is our little miracle."
Trish said the doctors never say the word cured. They only say the scans are clear, but they believe that Claire is a miracle who can shine bright for others to see that, even in the tough times of life, we can get through anything together.
Kevin sums it up with some important thoughts to remember year-round, but especially during the holiday season.
"If there is one thing I have learned, it is that life is precious and fragile. None of us know how much time we have to spend with our friends and family. Don't leave kind words from your heart unspoken. Say them loud and clear to those around you every chance you get."
