The Story of Cooper....
Welcome! Have you ever heard the saying; "You're one in a million?" If you're Cooper Cook, you really do fit this description!
Why? Well, because in September, 2008, Cooper was diagnosed with Infantile Fibrosarcoma, which originated in the parotid gland (head and neck area). Unbelievably, the odds of this type of cancer diagnosis in an 8 week old infant , particularly in this area of the body, are 1 in 5 million.
Unfortunately, over 10,000 family units feel the same type of overwhelming thrust of emotions, that we as Cooper's parents felt with Cooper's diagnosis, each and every year. Yes, the odds may be a little different for each specific child, but the fact remains that every single day over 40 children are diagnosed with childhood cancer. It is with this overwhelming news that a child, their parents, siblings, extended family, and friends begin a journey that no one would have hoped for.
It is because of our experience as parents of a beautiful child that has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, that we launch the Cooper Trooper Foundation. Our #1 mission is to attack childhood cancer from a little different perspective- through the eyes of a parent taking care of other children too. We have found in our current walk through this storm, that there is a huge need for hospital-based sibling resources for parents to take home to their other children to help nurture and care for them through this traumatic process.
Our foundation will be developing and distributing the Cooper Trooper Courage Kit that will be available to all siblings of children diagnosed with cancer. It will focus on cancer education, sibling courage, and family care. Will you join us in our mission?
Now, for the rest of "Cooper the Trooper's" story. After two complicated surgeries to resect a tumor that represented about 20% of the volume of his head (picture a tangerine inside an infant's head), losing some feeling in the right side of his face, mouth, and tongue, and overcoming two long hospital stays, the "Trooper" is cancer-free at this time! His prognosis is very positive, however, he will most likely need to be scanned by MRI and/or CT for the much of his life, beginning with every four to six months and spreading out further as he ages, to make sure that there is no recurrence of the tumor......Is there any question why he is called "Cooper the Trooper"? |
