For St. Jude patients, every milestone matters.
Sawyer Hunt, age 3, and his seven-member family are currently in the midst of living that reality and have been since last June, when he was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Sawyer is the son of Ruston residents Brittany and Brandon Hunt and was featured in a Journal article in August.
The family’s latest milestone: The planned removal of Sawyer’s nasogastric tube this week. An NG tube is a thin, soft tube that goes in through the nose, down the throat and into the stomach, used to feed formula to a child who can’t get nutrition by mouth or to give children medicine.
Sawyer has had the tube connected since Day 2 of his St. Jude stay because of issues that he had while taking meds. His heightened senses made taking medicine orally “a nightmare … another traumatic thing with him,” Brittany said. But now the time has come to remove the tube. “Knowing that we have so much longer taking these medicines, it’s just better to get him to take it another way,” she explained.
Specialized doctors have been working with him to achieve this result.
Now, when you see Sawyer, you might not even notice that he’s sick. Just a few days before the planned tube removal, Brittany said “the only way you know that something is going on with him” was because of the tube. He spends a lot of his time doing “boy things,” especially building things and playing with anything related to super heroes.
Sawyer’s latest trip to the main St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis was in late January, with his next scheduled for March 20. Meanwhile, he visits the St. Jude Shreveport Affiliate Clinic every Monday. So far, 20 weeks down and 100 to go. And in regard to milestones, he now has to return to Memphis only every eight weeks, instead of every four.
Concerning Sawyer’s treatment at St. Jude, Brittany said she wants to describe every person she encounters there as “the nicest person I ever met.” She uses the adjective “sweet” and the designation “angels,” speaking of “how far they go” and “how personal and one-on-one they are.”
“They involve the kids and make them think they have an option,” she said. “Even though he’s 3, they communicate with him. He’s involved. That just makes him feel better. It makes him feel important.” The staff strives to make it as fun for the children as they possibly can, she said.
The physicians and nurses bombard the parents and caregivers with information – and that’s good, Brittany said. “They keep you informed of every little thing. They break every single thing down for you.”
In relation to Sawyer’s treatment, she and husband Brandon are keenly aware of the local St. Jude Radiothon taking place Wednesday and Thursday on KXKZ 107.5.
Donors like these “are the reason St. Jude is the way that it is,” she said. “They’re the reason children can beat these nasty, awful diseases.” If it weren’t for St. Jude, “God only knows where we would be. There wouldn’t be a place for my son to beat this – to help him live.” She said she is “beyond appreciative.”
Although she was hesitant to talk about it, a GoFundMe campaign to help with family expenses during this tough time has been set up by Brittany’s sister, Lexi Taunton: “Fundraiser for Brittany Hunt by Lexi Taunton: #SAWYERSTRONG.” Funds raised go to an Origin Bank account in Sawyer’s name.
Sawyer’s dad, Brandon, currently works in the Gulf of Mexico with Transocean, an offshore drilling contractor, but did not work for three months after Sawyer was first diagnosed. At that time he was employed in Trinidad and Tobago. He is the family’s sole source of income as Brittany is busy caring for Sawyer and his four siblings: Felicity, 15; Cash, 12; River, 5; and Lennon Grace, 2.
As the radiothon is set to begin, one of Brittany’s Facebook posts seems appropriate: “Thank you so much for every single thought and prayer that has been sent our way. Knowing my boy is loved the way he is, by so many people, makes my heart the happiest.”
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The 42nd broadcast of the region’s St. Jude Radiothon is scheduled from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday on station Z107.5. To donate, call 1-800-787-5288 or donate online via the station’s Facebook (Z107.5) or Instagram (Z1075fm) pages. In-person donations will be taken during side events at the Ruston Walmart Supercenter and Super 1 Foods.
