Our son’s cancer diagnosis was shocking, to us and to his doctors. At seven months old, Hawk was one of the youngest people ever diagnosed with Burkitt leukemia1. His condition was so rare and his cancer was growing so quickly that no treatment protocols existed. 

That didn’t stop Dr. Hanna2 and Dr. Flagg3 from creating a unique and aggressive treatment plan. It required Hawk to be in the hospital for 148 days and have 14 spinal taps, six chemotherapy rounds, 13 blood transfusions, eight platelet transfusions and four bone marrow biopsies. It was a brutal regimen. 

Through it all, Cleveland Clinic took care of Hawk physically and supported us emotionally. When we walked out of the hospital, our son was in remission, thanks to a medical team that treated our baby like he was their own, fighting every day to beat the odds and this rare condition. 

 

Hawken Hunt started kindergarten this year and played his first flag football game.

Photo of Hawken Hunt

Photo: Cady Meloy

Notes

  1. A fast-growing cancer caused by too many white blood cells in the blood and bone marrow.
  2. Rabi Hanna, MD, is Director of Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation.
  3. Aron Flagg, MD, is a pediatric oncologist.