01/12/2022
When Taylor Houchin was first diagnosed with cancer, she had one 7-year old daughter and was pregnant with her second child, a son. "They promised me that the chemo wouldn't hurt my baby, so I chose to go ahead with treatment while I was pregnant," said Houchin.
Like many parents, Houchin and her husband Brett decided to just be honest with their daughter so that she would never have to be afraid that they might be keeping secrets from her. "But still," said Houchin, it was so hard for her to understand how sick I was, and hard for me because I couldn't just stop being a parent."
Two chemo cycles and one stem cell transplant later, Houchin recently celebrated 3 years in remission and is doing well. As promised, her son was born with no complications and unaffected by the chemo she had.
Houchin often thinks about the other parents with young children that are currently in the battle, and could use some encouragement and support to offset the fear and isolation. Partnering with Chemo Buddies, Houchin is launching Parent Buddies in early 2022. If you are a parent with young children (8th grade or younger) and have been diagnosed with cancer, or survived cancer, we would love to meet you!
The group will have free monthly family-friendly get togethers at fun local establishments. There will also be activities for the children.
Visit ChemoBuddies.org to sign up to receive more information by email. https://www.chemobuddies.org/parent-buddies
