EudoraNews.com

According to Mary Ann Nicolay, being a grandparent has its share of responsibilities. Playing at the park, trekking to the pool and going fishing are some of the activities she and her grandson enjoy together. However, three years ago, Mary Ann Nicolay had to put those things aside for a moment and give support to her grandson who was diagnosed with cancer.

In July 1998, Mary Ann's grandson, Jacob Nicolay, was diagnosed with cancer. Jacob's father, Monte Nicolay, said it first seemed his 8-year-old son had the flu.

"The initial visits to the family practitioner showed he had some type of stomach virus," said the Spring Hill resident. "We were told it should go away within a few weeks."

The symptoms didn't go away. Two days later, Jacob was taken to Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Kan., where doctors found a tumor in his brain. Jacob immediately went to Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan., where a neurosurgeon worked to remove the tumor.

Monte said he was numb when he first heard his son had cancer.

"Just like they chopped your legs out from underneath you," he said. "They thought it would be benign and it was actually malignant. It was at a certain position and the tumor likes to travel down the spinal column. But, they caught it in time."

Following the surgery, Jacob endured eight weeks of radiation treatment, followed by two years of chemotherapy.

Doctor's estimated a 50-50 chance that Jacob's cancer would not return within the first year.

Mary Ann said she and her husband, Rex, took the initiative to support their grandson as he went though his treatment. The Nicolay family doesn't have a history of cancer, so Jacob's tumor was shocking, Mary Ann said. The first thing she did was to find local support.

"Probably one of the first things I did was I went to see Judi O'Grady," she said. "I visited with her and her daughter (Brooke), who at that time was in remission. Of course now, we're all trying to help Judi cope."

Mary Ann said she offered Jacob regular visits and prayer while he was in the hospital and undergoing treatment. She said the ordeal was difficult, yet she remained focused and wasn't angry despite her grandson's situation.

"I think the way I handled it was that I couldn't look at the whole picture," she said. "I had to take it one day at a time. Each day we had him was another blessing."

This month, Jacob has been cancer free for 18 months. He'll be tested every six months until he is 18 years old. Mary Ann said the important thing is that her grandson is alive and functions with few side effects.

"If you talk with him, you'd probably never know anything happened," she said.

As a cancer survivor, Jacob will round the track at this year's Relay for Life, an event to raise money for cancer victims and research. Mary Ann said she's looking forward to giving more support to her grandson, who is a true survivor.

"I guess I'm just amazed at what this child could go through," she said. "I'm not sure I could go through it."

RFL begins 7 p.m., June 8 and runs overnight until the morning of June 9. Anyone interested in more information on the event can call Judi O'Grady at 542-2208.