January, 19, 2000
Local boy fights tumors with will power
Malinda Ruble
Staff Writer
At age 7, Mark Schock has already faced many challenges in his life and just when he thought he had won his fight with a Wilm's tumor, another battle began.
Jan. 26, 1999, Mark was diagnosed with a tumor on his kidney &emdash; from that point on life has been a struggle.
"We found out when he was accidentally hit in the belly at recess. He woke up with a stomach pain. I took him to the local pediatrician and they did an X-ray and found the tumor. It was a Wilm's tumor on the left kidney,'' said Sharon Schock, Mark's mother.
The next day the tumor and kidney were removed.
"He was at stage three of five. He needed chemo for six months and radiation for two weeks,'' said Sharon.
Mark finished his treatments Aug. 17, 1999 and was in full remission.
"After surgery, he returned to school and even gained weight,'' she said.
Mark continued to receive monthly check-ups, but all appeared to be fine.
Then in November 1999 things took a turn for the worse.
"They found two spots &emdash; one on the left lung and one on the right. It blew us away. It (the news) just floored us," said Sharon.
"Two weeks later they found the one on the left lung had doubled in size. They decided to let the right spot go because it would be too hard on him to do surgery on both at the same time," she said.
On Nov. 29, 1999, Mark underwent lung surgery at Children's Hospital in Columbus.
Mark returned home Dec. 3, 1999, to his mother, father, Ray, and brother and sister, but by Dec. 7 it was back to the hospital for his five-day chemotherapy treatments. He then got to come home briefly, only to return to the hospital when his fever reached 104 degrees.
"He was back in until Christmas Eve and then he was released. We didn't think he would be out over the holidays,'' said Sharon
On Jan. 7, Mark began chemo again.
This week Mark will take another test to determine if the spot on his right lung is smaller or larger. If the spot is smaller, the chemo therapy treatment will continue. If not, the spot will be removed.
"They say Wilm's tumor is a gene cancer. It starts in the kidney and it can go to the lung, but it was unlikely it would do that. Normally, if it comes to the lung it will stay at the lung,'' said Sharon.
The Wilm's tumor is normally found in children age 1-3.
"I've talked with some around here that had it when they were children and they're fine now,'' she said.
Sharon said her son's strength has helped the entire family to cope with the situation.
"He's a very strong kid. I don't know where he gets his strength. His willpower or strength has really helped all of us through this,'' she said. "But you just learn to deal with it."
Friends and family also have help support the family in many ways.
"Everybody has helped out. Everybody has been so generous. My son got up one morning to go to work and found a big box at the mailbox and it was filled with canned goods and Christmas gifts. We even found one on the back porch. We had all of these Secret Santas who we didn't know,'' she said.
Local churches and Just for Kids also have been helpful.
"I don't know what we'd do without our friends and family," she said.
But for now, the Schocks are just taking life one step at a time.
"You don't know what tomorrow will bring so you learn to live every day to the fullest. You always hear of cancer in adults. But you never think it's going to hit a kid. I always thought it was going to happen to someone else, but it does hit home,'' she said.