A local family wants to give back to the hospital that's been helping a three-year-old boy in his battle against leukemia.
Dru Lauten, 3, and his big brother Michael, 6, were both sick just before Christmas 2012. While Michael recovered, Dru didn't bounce back as quickly.
"When he was better, his colour didn't come back," said Grace Vanden Dungen, the boys' mom. "I thought he had jaundice."
The concerned mom took her youngster to the doctor, who ordered some blood work.
Returning home from work one evening, she had a message from the doctor telling her to take her son to B.C. Children's Hospital regarding his blood - immediately.
Vanden Dungen and her husband rushed Dru to B.C. Children's Hospital, where he underwent further testing. Once it was confirmed he had leukemia, treatment began immediately.
"He is in remission already," she said.
Dru's chemotherapy treatment is being done on a cyclical basis, changing every four to eight weeks.
"He has the best possible outcome," Vanden Dungen said. "We are staying positive."
According to the B.C. Children's Hospital website, acute leukemia is the most common cancer in children.
The website states that in leukemia, abnormal immature white blood cells increase greatly and invade other tissues and organs; these white cells aren't able to function at their normal task of fighting disease, which makes a child with leukemia vulnerable to infection or hemorrhage.
Vanden Dungen said her son knows he's sick, but isn't old enough to comprehend the diagnosis.
"He takes it so well," she said about the treatments. "He gets blood work done every week. He just goes with it."
The New Westminster family is holding a car wash on April 7 to raise funds for B.C. Children's Hospital.
"He is going to be getting treatment at the hospital for the next three years. We wanted to give back," Vanden Dungen said. "My son lives in this community. He has cancer. We are trying to bring awareness to the cause."
The car wash is being held on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Esso station at 780 Sixth St. (corner of Sixth Street and Eighth Avenue.)
