Family celebrates end of child’s cancer treatment thanks to dog donation in Robertsdale – WKRG News 5

ROBERTSDALE (WKRG) — A 7-year-old boy from Robertsdale is celebrating with a new dog after fighting for life. Cullen McKinney recently completed cancer treatment three years after his life-changing diagnosis. We were there on Sunday when he first met his new dog Maverick.

He is a taciturn boy who speaks more tragically than anyone five times his age. It started in 2019 when he was diagnosed with leukemia.fan of Karen’s Courage Facebook Page saw Milestone streamed live. he rang the bell It shows that his cancer treatment ended just a few weeks ago. Now it’s time to go home. He gets to play with his new dog and, more than that, ends up living like a typical kid.

“I feel like this is the first step towards enjoying new things and enjoying life to the fullest,” said Karen’s mother, Jessica McKinney. Cancer is a life-changing experience and I hope this little dog can help Karen live like a child again.

“I think he has already learned that life is short, has consequences, and can happen at an early age that he shouldn’t have learned yet. Karen’s mother said Lauren Henson was a social worker who helped connect them with breeders who wanted to donate dogs to families who had been through a lot. Dogs help heal trauma.

“They are very intuitive about what children are feeling and can pick up on emotions that we may not have the ability to say out loud,” said Henson. come from Double J Doodle Farmshe says, glad they could bring happiness with them.

Jessica Jordan said, “It was so inspiring to hear Karen’s story and see how hard he fought to get where he is. I checked in with my family this week. Cullen ‘s father says the dog is getting along well and, in his words, “has brought more smiles to Cullen’s face than we’ve seen in a while.”

A cancer diagnosis affects not only the patient, but the entire community. Lauren Henson, her social worker, writes about the resources her family has available when faced with childhood cancer.

Thank you for your testimony to the importance of grace, community, and relationships. Having an idea of ​​what these children and families are enduring in their pediatric journey fosters advocacy, awareness and empathy.

Our community has so many local supports and resources to support our families. These local communities that support our families, raise awareness, fund research, provide a respite of emotional support, and help release financial burdens to alleviate additional worries. Please consider supporting resources.

To name a few: very strong foundationHmm, Meredith’s Miracle, Ansley Foundation, Jensen Heart of Gold, Camp Rapahope When sandcastle kids.

The USA CW team will be on Day 1 of the family. Their hearts are overflowing day after day to serve, reassure, and get through the darkest moments that parent and child could never have imagined becoming “his one of the 285.” I have witnessed firsthand the continued compassionate service provided by doctors, nurses, child life teams, therapists, EVS teams, clerks and residents. Their mission in the field is clear.