Pain, pain is something that we all have. Whether it be physical or mental, and there are all kinds of diagnosis for pain. From Fibromyalgia to arthritis, to mental anguish. But our hero of the day has dealt with pain like no other. Adler Bear Carris is a sweet five-year-old that began to deal with pain in the fall of 2013.
Pain is defined: physical suffering or distress. What Adler dealt with was not just pain, but torture and agony better describe what Adler went through. The pains were so agonizing that Adler would lay in his mother’s arms sweating, shaking and crying and in between cries, saying I love you. Elizabeth, Adler’s mom, describes pain as:
“If PAIN took human form that he would be tall and thin but fit, dressed in a sleek black suit, crisp white shirt, and a red silk tie. Pale skin and jet black hair parted and slicked to the side with a slight wave to it. Wearing a hat and looking as if he stepped out of a photo from the roaring twenties….But innocent all at the same time because PAIN is simply just doing his job. Invading someone’s life and body. “
18FEB14, Adler was diagnosed with Arachnoiditis, prescribed steroids and sent off to find pain management on their own. Because Adler was only four, this was no easy task. Most doctors aren’t going to see a four-year-old and treat them for chronic pain. As the pain continued, Adler slowly slipped further and further into oblivion.
He was not the child that his parents knew just a year before the pain began. Headaches with vomiting, dizziness, and fainting periodically. They treated the symptoms with steroids, then gabapentin, and morphine. But none of it worked. Then they met Dr. Hseih. Once they saw Dr. Hseih, things changed. Immediately they were sent to Lurie’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
16MAY14, MRI’s of the head, neck, and spine revealed something that was astonishing to the parents. Alder’s head was full of fluid. To be more precise, there were three times the amount of fluid on his brain than the average individual. Hydrocephalus and pilomyxoid astrocytoma, grade 2 cancer was the diagnosis. This was causing all the pain in Adler. Adler had brain cancer and was misdiagnosed with Arachnoiditis, which is, inflammation of the arachnoid that protects the nerves of the spinal cord.
So as their son, their baby, was slowly losing his life, the Carris’s never quit searching for relief. Due to their persistence, they unknowingly saved their son’s life. Now, with the correct diagnosis, surgery and a team of doctors, Adler is slowly coming back to the Adler they once knew.
But Adler is not out of the woods yet, and he will probably never be free and clear. The tumors that Adler has are inoperable and will always exist in his brain and spinal column. But, the family is hopeful that the chemo will shrink the tumors and allow Adler to be a normal five-year-old.
Adler has suffered through more pain than you and I could ever imagine. Pain is said to be for the weak, but the pain that Adler dealt with and has survived, is not for the weary. Adler Bear Carris is a hero, and to his parents he is a superhero. So today. 14MAY15 I ride for not only a hero, but a superhero, by the name of Adler Bear Carris. What you have dealt with and gone through in itself is a miracle. But the fact that you were able to push your body through the agony and come out the other side is truly amazing. I am honored to ride in your name Adler.
Adler is from the Old German origin and commonly interchanged with the name Adlar, which means “noble strength”. Adler, you have shown noble strength, and I am grateful to ride in your name. May your day be blessed, keep fighting, and keep winning. Godspeed Ken.
#GoGreyInMay
To learn more about Adler Bear, check out these links:
https://www.facebook.com/AdlerBear
http://www.gofundme.com/Adler-Bear
http://boldaslovemom.com/author/elizabethcarris/
[/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″]Back to Ken’s Home Page
[/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″]Donate to Ken at PayPal
[/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″]Donate to Alex’s Lemonade
[/vc_column][/vc_row]