Help Domanic fight leukemia for second time,

Hi everyone,

My name is Phil, and I live in a little town called Shannon in New Zealand with my wife Cherie and 6 amazing young children. But in November 2019 the worst thing happened. Our son Domanic, 8 years old, was emergency air ambulanced to Starship Hospital Auckland and diagnosed with Philadelphia Positive Lymphoblastic Acute Leukemia (pH+all). At 80% leukemia in his bone marrow, our fight began!! Months away in hospital with Mum at his side, Dom endured extensive chemotherapy, steroids, tears, emotions, and heart stopping moments.

I had to stay behind at home with our remaining 5 children. School runs, dinners, washing and cleaning and all the emotional moments of explaining to Domanic's siblings regularly why he was in hospital and why we couldn't visit him. They had so many questions I couldn't answer. Nights I spent alone without my wife, lost, depressed, hurting and wondering if we are going to get through this, but most of all wondering if our son was going to survive. I myself have a permanent head injury, so I have my own challenges daily, but we pushed on as a unit, the kids and I, being there for them and them there for me too. With amazing help from my children's school, finally after 2 months away in hospital Dom and Mum were finally allowed to come home. He got regular treatments from our local hospital, with weekly trips back to Starship for lumber punctures and chemotherapy. So apart from holding a bowl why he was sick, and the many nights falling asleep rubbing his painful knees and legs to help him sleep, things were looking better for him. We had his nose feeding tube removed, and he gained a little weight, this was an amazing moment for Dom. His huge efforts of eating, when he wasn't hungry (which was most of the time) or vomiting his food straight back up had paid off. He would be sick then rinse his mouth and go straight back to his food to eat, even to a point of being sick 4 or 5 times when he ate food 6x a day, so determined. Sometimes throwing up his feeding tube, and removing it himself meant having to go in to town to the hospital to have it reinserted( he always cried and pleaded with me to not get it put back in,but after a heart to heart and dad throwing some positive praise for his efforts so far, and fortnite v bucks sometimes lol)he would get it done no fuss.

I am so, so proud of him for accomplishing his goal, gaining the body weight kilos needed to have his tube removed from his nose, and the food consumption to help his body fight and stay strong. Also relieved, because when I told him it would help him feel better and help his recovery, it would mean he could get the nose tube removed, and all his hard work to get there, it worked!He did it! I have no control of helping him get better, or curing him, I dreaded the day he didn't get better and didn't get tube removed, I would have had to tell him I was wrong, even though he ate like horse, this day haunts me every single time I close my eyes still to this day. I never want to let him down!

We had gotten so near the end of his treatment, all the maintaining his weight like a legend, tackling his emotions/depression amazingly, and even started school a couple of days a week as well, then...

…(Tears) His leukemia is back! My wife and I once again are lost....and we are not gonna have each other for emotional support, hug, tears, to help push through this all over again. Except this time, they could be gone from home for 6 months or more, a bone marrow transplant is the direction we are heading, and I feel weak in my heart and legs, not knowing where this next journey will lead us as a family, the future is uncertain. I'm worried about not being there with him,when he may need me, and if things go wrong.... I don’t even want to think about that road. A 1000+ km round trip to visit them at starship hospital means I'll get 2 or 3 visits a month, yay..I'll be like a excited puppy to see them both.

This page is for him, for what ever he needs, but I don't have any idea on a donation goal, could be $1,000 or $1,000,000. I know trials over seas are expensive, so looking into every avenue is way beyond what we could ever afford. So I have set it at $1, and will make it permanently active, but all I know is we can't loose him from our family unit.

Dom is a amazing kid! The most smiling happy go kid I’ve ever known. Right up there with his other siblings. He always went to blood transfusions with his nana to keep her company, sat on her knee and watched cartoons with her, before she passed away 3 years ago from a different type of leukemia from what Dom has.

Small story: Dom was given a donation little while ago from a amazing person brightening Dom's day. Dom said "Dad can u take me to the shop so I can buy something?"

Me being a pushover, his first time in a shop for many months, I replied “sure buddy let's grab ya mask and head out."

So off we went, and as we drove passed our small towns local park, we saw some contractors working in the bad weather, they were building a fence around the park. The first upgrade I can remember, being a small town, government infrastructure investment here is very low. But Dom's face pressed against the window as we drove past big smile telling me how good it looked and that the workers are working in the rain and bad weather just so the little kids of Shannon won't run out on the road. So with his own money that was given to him he brought them all a drink from the shop and wanted to give them to the workers for working in the bad weather. As I pulled up and turned to talk to him, he was gone out the car, walking over to the workers asking me to bring all the drinks. I wasn't going to let him out, as weather was not good, and tried to just park close so he could talk to them from car. “No dad! Just bring the drinks!” Dom said.

You can see the FB post of this story in his treatments page printed below.

Dom and us, his family, will appreciate your help in what ever form it comes.

It doesn't have to be a donation, it can be a get well message, or send your love, or a smiley face, to his treatment page, or send him a card (address below).

Att Domanic Grant

Starship hospital

children's ward

Auckland

New Zealand

His FB page - for his whole journey and journey to come.

*Domanic Grant's updates and treatments page*

Thanks for taking the time to read Dom’s story and supporting our family on this journey.