Four Diamonds child Jonus had a year that no parent ever wants to see their child have. But throughout his journey, Jonus has remained a trooper despite his parents lovingly calling him their “complicated patient.”
Right after Thanksgiving 2021, Four Diamonds mom Tara contracted COVID-19, as did her son, Jonus. After recovering, Jonus had persistent fevers that continued for weeks. His parents took him to urgent care, clinics and their pediatrician every three to five days between the end of November and the beginning of January. Jonus was given multiple diagnoses, including a virus, the flu, RSV and COVID-19. However, the theme was the same. “It will pass, return in a few days if his symptoms persist.”
Getting Answers for Troubling Symptoms: Swift Childhood Cancer Support from Penn State Health Children’s Hospital
New Year’s Day came and went, and the Wetzel family hoped Jonus’ health would improve. As the family was getting ready for church a week later, Jonus woke up lethargic, pale and unwell. Tara took him to the hospital and decided not to leave until she had answers. Once they arrived at York Hospital, they were triaged and put into a trauma room. Medical staff ran a blood panel, and the results were certain of one thing: they could not give Jonus the help he needed. So, doctors made the decision to fly Jonus and Tara to Penn State Health Children’s Hospital. At this point, he was disoriented, crying and screaming. When they landed in Hershey, doctors ran more tests, and Jonus’ family felt very much out of their depth. Care providers at York Hospital said it was possible Jonus had leukemia, but the answer was clear by the time they arrived at the Children’s Hospital. Jonus had B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).
This is where the Wetzel Family’s cancer journey began.
Jonus went through phases in the hospital, some good days followed by days with persistent fevers. He was in a state of getting better, receiving chemotherapy and then getting worse. During a transition from in-patient care to pediatric intensive care, Jonus took a turn for the worse where he was administered high-flow oxygen and by 3 a.m., doctors decided to put him in a coma and intubate him. “That was by far the worst night of our stay, and I thought it was filled with some pretty rough days prior,” said Tara. Jonus spent several days on the ventilator, and after recovery, returned to the 3rd floor and spent the rest of his stay there. Thanks to very persistent doctors and staff, they eventually discovered that he had a fungal infection. When the chemotherapy took over and did its job, the fungal infection took over causing most of his issues.
Jonus’ family lovingly calls him their “complicated patient.” Tara says, “If there is a .01% chance of a super complex side effect or complication, he will get it. He has coughed feeding tubes out of his stomach into his lungs, had every known complication, had a gastrostomy (G-Tube) placed, four ports and lines removed and replaced, and he has been poked and prodded countless times.” Through it all, Jonus has been a trooper. During treatment, he introduced all his nurses to his favorite band on YouTube, laughed a lot, read stories and watched his favorite movies.
Getting Better Day-by-Day: From Inpatient Cancer Treatment to Maintenance & Being a Kid Again
Since Jonus left the hospital at the end of May 2022, he has come so far in his journey. He has dealt with short inpatient stays for shots and illnesses, a broken leg and various other ailments. Jonus also entered the maintenance phase of chemotherapy, a milestone that Tara thought he’d never get to. Jonus has slowly learned to walk again, getting back to being a “typical” four-year-old boy. Jonus' favorite hobbies include reading books, playing games, doing puzzles, blowing bubbles, being outdoors, enjoying Pokémon Go, playing chef in his play kitchen and spending time with his sister.
Four Diamonds Pediatric Cancer Care & Staff: Supporting Jonus’ Health & Journey through Childhood Leukemia
Jonus and his family became quite familiar with Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, the pediatric cancer staff and the “routine” of treatment. In total, Jonus spent 138 days in-patient from January 9 to May 22, 2022. During this time, his family celebrated three birthdays, multiple holidays and the family grew by one–Jonus’ sister Aurora. Tara gave birth on the eighth floor of the hospital and went right back to Jonus on the third floor just two days later. “We cannot say enough good things about all the nurses, doctors and staff at the Children’s Hospital,” says Tara. “Every nurse was just as invested in our journey as we were.”
“We are eternally grateful for everything that Four Diamonds has done for us, our family and, more importantly, for our boy,” says Tara. “We are thankful every day for the life-saving care given to our family in this time of need. We don’t have enough words to express our gratitude to everyone who donates, fundraises and contributes to help conquer childhood cancer, no matter how big or small. We as a family can never thank you all enough for helping Four Diamonds and what they have done for us.”
Jonus’ story is one of strength, courage and resilience that inspires us to continue our work to ensure that all children like Jonus receive the highest quality care and holistic support services without ever worrying about a medical bill for their care. Your commitment and support makes this possible for Jonus and so many other children. Learn more about your impact or how you can get involved in the fight against childhood cancer today.