A battle for survival
In September 2012, 3 ½ year old Amber Barwick of Bel Air, Maryland was with her grandparents when they noticed she had a fever. A recent swollen mosquito bite on Amber was presumed the cause at first. April and Ken, Amber’s parents, took Amber to the pediatrician’s office, where they took her blood, but was otherwise unsure of the cause for the fever, other than perhaps mononucleosis. With Amber about to start preschool, they were eager to ensure Amber was healthy.
The fever continued. Amber’s pediatrician suggested that they make an appointment with Johns Hopkins. Amber was admitted and on September 22, 2012, was diagnosed almost immediately with Wilms Tumor, with a baseball size tumor on her left side, impacting her left kidney. They additionally learned that the cancer was Stage IV and had spread to her lungs and a couple of lymph nodes.
With no time to process or think clearly, her parents agreed to surgery for the following day. Amber remained inpatient for a week. Amber’s oncology team recommended 33 weeks of chemotherapy and ten sessions of radiation. Amber was unable to begin preschool. After the first chemotherapy treatment, the family took a trip to Ocean City. By the end of the weekend, Amber’s curls had fallen out.
Amber’s treatment required April to be by her side. Both April and Ken are long-time employees of Giant Food. April was out of work for 15 months. Thankfully, her colleagues at Giant Food were understanding and supportive during this incredibly stressful time. April recalled fondly meeting a well-known local childhood cancer hero Mo Gabba and his mother at Hopkins. He and Amber would play together in the waiting room.
April turned four on January 2013, in the middle of her treatment. Because Amber did not respond as the doctors had hoped, two additional drugs were added to her chemotherapy. April and Ken were told there could be a cognitive and fertility impact with Amber’s specific chemotherapy dose. Unfortunately, this is common with many chemotherapy treatments, but when the focus is on survival, there is not much of a choice.
Quite unbelievably, as Amber was amid her chemotherapy treatments, her father, Ken, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Additionally, April’s mother, who lived with them, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Three of the five members of the Barwick family were undergoing cancer treatment at the same time. April and her Amber’s grandfather were caring for Amber, Ken, and April’s mother. Ken’s cancer was detected early and he made a full recovery. April’s mother passed away in 2017.
Chemotherapy treatments continued for Amber. On May 1, 2013, Amber was declared cancer-free. Scans continued every month for a year, followed by every three months for two years. While the family was starting to feel relief that the cancer would not return, April noticed cognitive delays, and by the end of third grade, Amber was diagnosed with ADHD. To add to their health worries, April was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2014.
In fifth grade, as COVID forced schools to shut down, the Barwicks quickly realized that Amber’s learning challenges would not be aided with at-home learning. The Barwicks enrolled Amber at Redeemer Classical Christian School, which held in-person classes. This change made a huge difference for Amber, as the school concentrated on classical learning and she was assigned an educational therapist. Seventh and eighth grades were challenging for Amber. By this time, the family was working with the Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) to ensure Amber was receiving the appropriate supports at school. KKI therapists concluded that Amber fared much better by listening to books and instruction.
With immense pride and relief, we are thrilled to share that, as of 2024, Amber is 15 and a high school freshman at Redeemer, takes ADHD medication and works with a tutor she has had since 5th grade. The tutor is covered through the Cool Kids organization. Because Redeemer is a small school, with only 18 students in 9th grade, the small class size enables Amber to receive the instruction she needs to thrive.
Amber plays on her school’s soccer team and is a first-degree black belt in taekwondo. In other words, Amber does not have restrictions. She does recognize that her stamina is limited, but otherwise feels good physically.
Amber and her family attend the CCF Gala every year and we enjoyed having them celebrate with us at our 40th Annual Gala in November 2024.
