By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
Kaiser Wyllys was a happy, energetic three-year-old in early 2021, living in Petersburg with his parents and three sisters.
Kaiser’s mom, Sarah, had just had a baby girl in late January, and things were normal, if a little hectic with a seven-year-old, a three-year-old, a two-year-old and a newborn.
Suddenly, in early April, Kaiser was not energetic and active. He had played on his friend’s trampoline and fallen, hurting his leg. Sarah and Kaiser’s dad Mike had has leg ex-rayed and took him to the pediatrician several times only to be told there was nothing wrong.
But Sarah knew better. Kaiser’s legs hurt, and he didn’t want to use his legs.
His dad, Mike, saw him scooting to the bathroom one night, not using his legs, and he agreed with Sarah’s instinctive feeling that something was very wrong with their little boy.
“Mike is an RN nurse at St Elizabeth, and he knew we had to get Kaiser to a doctor right away,” Sarah related. “His pediatrician had said he was fine, so we finally took him to Urgent Care, and the doctor told us, your son is very sick, take him to Children’s Hospital right away.”
On April 28 they took Kaiser to Children’s and he spent the next 28 days in the hospital, undergoing tests like lumbar punctures, bone marrow tests, blood transfusions, and biopsies, and having a port put in for the chemotherapy, and the many blood tests he had to endure.
The result — Kaiser had leukemia. The doctors put him on a chemotherapy called the Red Devil. Later he was able to go onto an oral chemotherapy.The treatment left Kaiser exhausted and sometimes very sick.
Mike’s parents left South Carolina immediately to come and stay with the three girls while Sarah and Mike spent time at the hospital. Sarah felt that she was robbed of the experience of bonding with her newborn, but a parent knows when they have to drop everything and be with the child that needs them so desperately.
Mike’s co-workers at the hospital held a fundraiser for the family, and both Sarah and Mike were grateful for the help and the friends.
For the next two years, Kaiser underwent medical treatment, and the hospital was a place they went to often. He missed having his family together when he had to stay in the hospital.
After treatment, the only thing Kaiser wanted to eat was Chick-fil-A, where he had a standard fare of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. He also liked watermelon and sometimes hot wings.
The company, Chick-fil-A, has a Surprise and Delight team that keeps an eye on social media to find out things like Kaiser’s case, where the main food he looked forward to in his sickness was nuggets and mac and cheese from Chick-Fil-A.
The company set up a party for Kaiser at the Petersburg Community Center Saturday to celebrate the end of cancer treatment. He took his last chemotherapy pill Friday morning.
On Friday, Kaiser was able to ring the bell at the hospital, signaling that he is now officially in remission, a hard fought victory for such a little boy. His next goal will be five years, and he will be pronounced cancer free.
In the meantime, Kaiser intends to live his life. His port was taken out on July 21, and each little victory made him smile more. He will attend Kindergarten this year.
“He never lost the joy and sparkle in his eyes,” said his grandma.
He loved the party, but being shy, he stuck close to his mom and dad. He liked the Chic-fil-A cow, and even gave him a high-five, from the safety of his dad’s arms.
He loved jumping in the inflatables with friends and relatives, and when the food was put out, he allowed his mom to fill a plate of his favorite food from Chick-fil-A. He was hungry, and sat at the table with his sisters to enjoy the food.
His older sister Hadleigh had her hair braided with orange, the color for leukemia, and sister Brynn had green and orange rubber bands in her hair. Little sister Rowyn happily wore a ‘Kaiser Strong’ shirt that came to her knees, and all the friends and neighbors wore their shirts in support of Kaiser.
“The orange was for Leukemia, but green is his favorite color,” said Sarah. “At least, it is today. Tomorrow it might be blue!”
One of the nurses, Shana Shafii, from the hospital floor Kaiser was on, came to the party, happy to see how well he was doing. She said Kaiser had ALL, a childhood leukemia that unfortunately is one of the most common forms of childhood cancers. However they have made great strides with the cancer, and most children have at least a chance to beat it.
Kaiser didn’t know it at the party, but when the family arrived home, they had another surprise for him.
“The whole time he was in the hospital, Kaiser wanted a puppy,” said Sarah. “He couldn’t have one while he had a port, because puppies can be rough and tear the port. We were able to get him a French Mastiff puppy, and we will call him Atlas.”
Meanwhile, Kaiser was having fun at the party, running around like his legs had never been a problem.
“There is no holding him down now,” said his dad, who was fondly watching his son run. “He’s stronger than me now!”
Thank you!