When Tyrone High School senior Conner Marlett was just seven months old, his parents Chris and Krista (Marlett) Frye of Tyrone received news that no parent ever wants to hear.

The news that their son was one of the 15,000 to 16,000 children diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year.

Krista remembers the exact day they received Conner’s diagnosis: September 28, 2007.

It started with Krista taking Conner to the doctor for the common cold. However, during the routine exam, the doctor felt an unusual lump on Conner’s back.

After an X-ray and an ultrasound, they sent Conner to Pittsburgh for further evaluation.

Krista and Chris learned that Conner had stage two clear cell sarcoma of the right kidney.

They were heartbroken and scared, not knowing what would happen next.

“I felt guilty as all you want to do is keep your kids safe,” Krista said.

The family spent the next nine months traveling back and forth to Pittsburgh for surgery and treatments.

Conner had to have his right kidney removed and received a full course of chemotherapy.

Krista recalled how difficult the time was for their family. Doctors and nurses were constantly in and out of Conners’ room at all times of the day. He was hooked up to an IV at all times with fluids and meds at night.

“It’s so hard watching your son being pumped full of so many chemo meds,” Krista said.

However, Krista and Chris credit the doctors and nurses for helping them through the difficult time.

In May 2008, after nine months of treatment, Conner finished chemo and life slowly began to return to normal.

Conner even received a trip to Disney World from the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Fortunately, the cancer has not returned, but it still affects Conner’s life in several ways.

Conner is not allowed to play most sports because he cannot risk a serious injury to his remaining kidney.

He also has to watch what medicine he takes and have regular checkups on his heart and kidney to make sure the cancer has not returned.

“It’s always rough watching your child go through something like this and them not being able to do what other kids do, but we’re happy to still have our kid here,” Krista said.

Conner’s parents are externally thankful to the doctors, nurses, and their extended family for their help and support.

Conner was too young to remember anything about the initial diagnoses and chemo, but it still affects him today, and he has memories of checkups and tests from his early childhood.

“I don’t remember much, but it’s a weird feeling that it could come back,” Marlett said.

Unfortunately, there is always a possibility that the cancer could come back, but Conner has been cancer-free for almost 17 years and is looking forward to graduation this spring.

While childhood cancer is rare, it is still the leading cause of disease-related death past infancy in children and teenagers. Fortunately, because of breakthroughs in screenings and treatments, survivors like Conner far outnumber the victims.

This story was originally published on Tyrone Eagle Eye News on September 30, 2024.