Little Legends Lemonade Ep 05: Why Better Treatments for Kids Can't Wait

Send us Fan Mail Your child has a fever, you get told it’s probably nothing, and then one morning everything changes. John and Renee join us to tell the story of their son Will’s diagnosis with stage four Wilms tumor, a rare pediatric kidney cancer, and the brutal speed at which normal life turns into ultrasounds, surgery, pathology reports, chemo, and radiation when the cancer has spread to the lungs. Hearing Renee describe that first hospital visit and John describe the phone call that snapped his world in half is the kind of honesty that stays with you. We also get real about what people don’t see after the words “cancer free.” Remission still comes with scans, anxiety before checkups, and long-term side effects that can follow pediatric cancer survivors for years, from organ monitoring to secondary cancer risk. John shares how he shut down emotionally to keep the family moving, and we talk about how different grief styles can collide inside a marriage while you’re also raising a newborn and trying to keep life functioning. Then we zoom out to the bigger fight: pediatric cancer research funding and why groups like Cancer Free Kids matter. We connect the dots between better funding and better, less toxic treatments for kids, and we invite you to show up for the Lemonade Stand fundraiser on August 2 (11 to 1 at Tupelo Honey on Lane Avenue) to help push that work forward. If this conversation moves you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more families find it when they need it most. Donate directly to the Little Legends Lemonade stand here: https://cfk.donordrive.com/campaigns/Little-Legends-Lemonade Follow Keri: Instagram: @keripcroft The Keri Croft Show: @thekericroftshow Website: kericroft.com ⚡️ If this episode hits something in you, please share it with a friend. ⚡️ Subscribe to The Keri Croft Show on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. ⚡️ Leave a review if you’re feeling it. And until next time… Keep Moving, baby!