8-year-old El Paso boy celebrates end of cancer treatment
EL PASO, Texas -- Isaiah Hernando, an 8-year-old boy was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma November 15th of last year.
Isaiah was surrounded by his family at El Paso Children’s Hospital as he recently rang a bell. That bell meant that Isaiah is now cancer free.
His nurses held a banner and broke out in song, singing “Happy last chemo, Isaiah! Happy last chemo to you!”
The relief that came at the end of this journey was at great cost to his family. His father explained how tough it was for them.
“You know when you find out the news it’s very hard to handle. But just being confident, being very strong mentally and telling yourself that you can get through it. That’s the key,” said Hector Hernando, Isaiah’s father.
As hard as the treatments were for his family, it was even worse for little Isaiah.
“There’s times when he wanted to give up, there’s times when he wanted to start crying. You know, there was times when he just wanted to be a normal kid again, wanted to play with his friends, wanted to go outside and play,” Mr. Hernando said.
Isaiah had a rare cancer in the soft tissue surrounding some of his bones. He needed chemotherapy, radiation treatment in Dallas, and even needed some rbs removed along with the tumor.
It all took a toll.
“With all the treatments he was getting, being so weak, not able to eat, feeling sick all the time,” Mr. Hernando said.
The worst is now behind them. His family hugged Isaiah tightly as people cried looking at his small figure shying away from the attention. Loved ones wore Team Isaiah shirts as they held each other, marking the end of the painful journey. Recovery lies ahead, but a dark cloud hangs in the back of their minds.
“It’s hard to get through, but of course I still think about it. What if it comes back?” his dad said.
It’s a cloud they won’t let hang over Isaiah as he goes back to his friends.
“He’s back to school, back to normal life, which he’s been, he’s been waiting for so bad.”
As happy as it makes him, Isaiah won’t always be in school. He and his family will have to make time for his Make-A-Wish wish. He is currently leaning toward going to Disneyland.
