15 Years Cancer Free - World Wish Day 2025

 

4/29 is when we celebrate Charlie's Make a wish and his official "Remission Day."

Here he is 15 years later on the same (modified) playset - 18yrs old & Cancer Free!

  

Original Make A Wish Pictures 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/q5SxLBn35QkLhv9z5

 And Blog post

https://charliehooper.blogspot.com/2011/04/?m=0

Remission Day 2014

April 29th is the day we celebrate as a family. In 2010, just 3 short weeks after we found cancer in Charlie's blood, the intensive Chemotherapy had reduced the cancer to 0%! 

This is his REMISSION DAY! Happy Anniversary Buddy! We love you!

LLS Boy of the Year 2014

Charlie is the LLS Rocky Mountain Chapter Boy of the Year. Boy of the year serves as the "poster child" for a fantastic 10 week fundraising mad dash! To find out more about the event click here : http://www.mwoy.org/rm/localchapter/denver/

Team Naomi came up with videos to help her fund raising. Take a look below. This one was filmed about a week after we brought Michael home!


Here is the shorter version.

Supporting Miss Denise - Komen Walk 2013

The Primrose teachers and staff are like a second family. Truly these women are the "Other Mommies" to our little ones, especially Daniel and Ana having started out in the infant rooms at Primrose. Through the years we've come to know many of the teachers and they have supported us with Charlie's Cancer journey and fund raising events. Last year practically our whole Light the Night team was comprised of Primrose staff! Miss Denise, with the early toddlers, was one of our supporters. Denise was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. She and Charlie were on the same meds and had the same "tubies & bump (port)" for much of the first half of 2013. We are happy to say that Miss Neese is doing great and is a Breast Cancer SURVIVOR!!! She is currently Ana's primary teacher. Below are a few pictures of the Hooper Clan supporting Miss Neese's Komen Walk team this past Sunday.

Komen 2013

The Face of Quiznos' LLS Campaign

Yep. That's Charlie holding a picture of Charlie at Quizos! We were approached by the Quiznos Corporate folks a few months ago about having Charlie be the face of their fund raising campaign in September that raises awareness and funds for LLS. We took the family in for lunch the other day to show Charlie the marketing material. The crew at our local Quiznos were like..."I thought that was him, the kid in the picture. Do you live here?"

Charlie is part of the NATIONAL Quiznos marketing. This picture was taken in a Quiznos in Texas by one of our extendend family members.

We are proud of our little survivor and hope that his silly grin will get people to donate to the LLS.

9News Segment for Light the Night

Charlie and Mommy did another segment for 9News with Corey Rose this morning promoting LLS and Light the Night. Not sure how long the video will be up on the 9News web page, but the embedded video is above and below are a few screen shots from the broadcast.

Rockies Game

Last year Charlie received two tickets to a Broncos game from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Dad and Charlie went and had a great time.  This year, Charlie got four tickets to a Rockies game so Mom and Daniel got to join us.  Here's a rare shot with Mom behind the camera instead of Dad.

The boys had great time cheering the Rockies and eating ice cream.

Lefta

The Left hand Brewing Company is one of the fantastic companies we have met through our work with the LLS. Left hand coordinator Josh asked us to be part of the Leftapallooza fund raiser this year in Longmont. Chad, Nana, and I are taking all of the kids up there this Saturday for beer, food and fun. I will speak multiple times with the Emcee on the importance of raising money for LLS. Last year they raised over $28k with this event and this year they are hoping to break that record. Here is the ad

 

We also helped with the advertising by writing a quick editorial for their local paper, the Longmont Times Call. The article link is here. Not sure how long they keep things up so I took a snapshot for historical purposes.

The text reads:
Chad and Angela Hooper: Help Charlie help others
Posted: TimesCall.com 7/30/2013
We think Charlie Hooper is a remarkable boy. He can brighten any room. He can charm any person. He isour role model and superhero. He is also our 6-year-old son.

At the age of 3 Charlie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Over the last three years,
Charlie has endured things no child should ever have to go through. Through it all, he never complained and he even managed to cheer up the people around him. Throughout Charlie's three-year treatment plan, he had some tough times. There were whole weekends spent on the couch and midnight trips to the ER for even the smallest of fevers. With his immunity suppressed by the chemotherapy, we took no chances with things like pneumonia and bacterial infections.

Charlie is now a cancer survivor. He finished his chemotherapy earlier this month and he continues to inspire us as his body is going through a readjustment phase. Our family has been forever changed by Charlie's journey. Today, we are sharing Charlie's experience with leukemia in an effort to help the many organizations that raise funds for researching a cure. We feel that it is important to teach Charlie to give back as much as he can because those who have in the past have done something great for him. Please join him in helping the next family that hears those awful words, "You have cancer."

We're honored to have Charlie as this year's honoree for Left Hand Brewing's Leftapalooza event this
Saturday. Join us as we celebrate life and support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at Leftapalooza.

Oh, yeah, the nine bands are pretty cool, too.
Chad and Angela Hooper
Denver

Quiznos Light the Night Kickoff

Today Charlie and Dad took a trip downtown to help Quiznos kickoff their corporate LLS Light the Night Team.  Dad got to present Charlie's story as Charlie stood there looking cute.  Afterwards, "Mr. Stuart" (as Charlie calls the Quiznos CEO) made Charlie Quiznos' very first Honorary Junior Chef and presented Charlie with his very own chef's jacket.

After the presentation, we walked back to Quiznos' corporate office for a tour of their test kitchen and to attend a meet & greet with the corporate staff, most of whom were at the kickoff earlier.  Charlie worked the crowd as only Charlie can.  I was talking to some folks and realized Charlie had wandered off.  When I found him, this was the scene:

No doubt, talking about super-heroes or Transformers.  It was a great event and afternoon.  I thank all the LLS and Quiznos staff that made us feel so welcome and had such nice things to say about Charlie.  We look forward to a continued relationship with the Quiznos Family.

Light the Night Speech for Vistar

I wanted to share one of our LLS speeches on the blog. I delivered this speech on a web conference  fundraising kick off for Vistar, one of the National corporate Light The Night sponsors. This is basically the transcript from the YouTube video.

It was 2010 and Charlie had just celebrated his 3^rd birthday and was limping and complaining of foot pain. Being new parents, we took him to the podiatrist, to the pediatrician, and ultimately to the orthopedic.  I think we were on our fifth visit to the hospital, third visit to the orthopedics, maybe our tenth x-ray, but only our first complete blood workup, when the results came back.

We heard: “We found blast cells in Charlie’s blood. He has cancer.” Specifically Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. We had come to treat a broken leg, but were admitted to oncology and by the end of the evening; Charlie was receiving his first doses of chemo.  

Over the course of treatment, Charlie’s little body was pummeled by a barrage of surgeries, drugs, and  side-effect after side-effect. We watched our happy-go-lucky three year boy fade away into a moody, sickly looking figure that hardly resembled his former self.  What I call our Treatment Transformation. 

Learning to be parent a Child with a terminal cancer was difficult. Yes, Charlie’s cancer is considered terminal even though his cure rate is over 85% for his risk factor. We decided to keep things as normal as possible in his little life. Charlie stayed in preschool through the majority of treatment. When he was too sick or tired or had no immunity left he would stay home with Mom. But other than that we tried to do fun things such as hikes, gardening and playing outdoors. We developed a ‘New Normal’ as we like to call it. And that included trips to the hospital for simple things like the flu or scarier things like pneumonia which could have killed him. 

These trips to the hospital became bonding times for Mom and Dad and Charlie and introduced us to an amazing community, one that nobody ever expects that they will be a part of.  Since being a part of the LLS community, Charlie has been given the opportunity to participate in a St. Patrick’s Day Parade, received tickets for Broncos football and Avalanche hockey games.  In the life and mind of a five year old, these are not trivial events, especially when he was too sick to get off the couch some weekends. 

For two years of Charlie’s Leukemia journey, we were on the receiving end of all the good things LLS does for families like ours.  The educational materials, the exciting events and of course, the treatment that Charlie was undergoing are all the product of vast amounts of donations, research ,and hard work by individuals associated with LLS.  

Last year we decided it was time to start giving back and we formed our Light the Night Team, Charlie’s Cancer Crushers.  Knowing that we were doing something good for other people with experiences like our own, challenged us to do more.  This year LLS gave us another great opportunity when they asked us if Charlie could be the LLS Honored Hero for this year’s Light the Night event. 

His representation is the perfect culmination to the 3 ½ year therapy that as you can see ended this past June! Charlie received his last injection of chemo and his last pill. We were thrilled.

We are here today not only to share Charlie’s story, but to let you know there is still a lot of work yet to be done.  Midway through Charlie’s treatment, my favorite uncle battled (AML) another form of Leukemia, only to succumb to the disease after 5 months. Attending his funeral and returning home to my cancer patient was one of the hardest things I’ve had to endure.

That is why it is so important for companies like yours to get involved with Light The Night this year. We are still losing battles! To combat this, in 2012 alone, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society invested 100 million dollars in blood cancer research, and over 10 million dollars to Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, the specific type of cancer that Charlie had.  This is one of the many reasons why we decided to get involved and to do everything we can to educate others about the importance of raising funds for this organization.  We hope that like us, you too decide to join in the fight to create a world free of blood cancer. Thank you.   

Light the Night Honored Hero 2013 Story

I created this video to help with the LTN 2013 campaigns. Charlie is this year's LTN honored hero and we are very excited to be part of this important event. The slides and speech are a little less than 5 mins in length.




A direct link to the YouTube video can be found here for sharing : http://youtu.be/VqvvAQkjnHo

Charlie's End of Chemo Party

So last weekend we had a bunch of family and friends over to help Charlie celebrate the end of active treatment for ALL.  Three years ago we started this journey and it was time to let loose and have a good time.

The kids had great time bouncing in an awesome Robot Bounce House, getting their faces painted by Happy the Clown and watching Happy's Magic Show.  Undoubtedly, the unexpected hit of the day was G-Deb and Gary's gift to Charlie which was the kiddie roller coaster.  Every kid had blast riding that thing up and down and our lawn has the tracks to prove it.

Charlie had a fantastic week with all of his friends and family and we thank all of you who travelled great distances to show your support for Charlie's achievement.  For Angela and I, this party was as much about thanking all of you in our lives that helped us get through these years as it was about celebrating Charlie.  For those of you who were unable to attend, our thanks go out to you for keeping Charlie in your thoughts and prayers over the last three years.  Without all of you this would have been 100 times more difficult and I believe Charlie would not have weathered it as greatly as he did.

Charlie's End of Chemo Party

Last Week of Chemo

So begins Charlie's last full week of chemo.  Let's hope this is a sight that we never have to see again.

Portastrophe

So, I am sure some of you out there are wondering how Charlie's port removal went this morning.  The answer is that I am sure his port removal would have gone fantastically . . . had it actually happened.

The day began with Daniel and Charlie heading downstairs around 5:30 am, as they sometimes do.  Yes, I said 5-freakin'-30.  If one of them wakes up, both of them wake up and they head downstairs and watch cartoons.  I got up shortly after to make a cup of coffee and so begins that routine we conduct 250+ days a year.  Well Charlie and Daniel ask for breakfast and I absent-mindedly hand them a squeezy yogurt and breakfast bar, respectively, thinking nothing of it.  Shortly afterward, Angela comes down with Ana dressed and ready for school.

"Charlie, you didn't have breakfast did you?" asks Mom

"Yes" answers Charlie

"Oh, $#!+!!!!!" thinks Dad

Since Charlie has to go under general anesthetic for his procedure, he can't have food 8 hours in advance.  Mom quickly confirmed that there was no point in heading to the hospital and Dad proceeded to take the kids school.  Charlie was severely disappointed, not because he really wanted to undergo surgery, but I think he was really looking forward to spending the rest of the day at home with Mom.

The truth is that the night before I had actually thought about the fact that Charlie couldn't have breakfast in the morning, but I just wasn't thinking on all cylinders that early in the morning.  And I have to give credit to Angela, she didn't remind when I got out of bed because she thought it would be "nagging".  I just didn't follow through . . .

Charlie's port removal has been postponed to next Wednesday, which in hind sight may not be all that bad.  Charlie numbers were pretty bad from Tuesday's clinic visit and while they didn't see a problem with carrying on with his surgery, it can't hurt to have him rebound a little before going back in.  At least, that is what I will keep telling myself.

Charlie's Last Chemo

Today Charlie had his last Chemo push at clinic!

After three of getting Charlie used to getting his port accessed it was maybe a little anti-climactic.  However, it was a good time to reflect on all the things Charlie has been through and how far he has come.  We were reminiscing with Sally about how bad Charlie use to be at getting his "tubies".  For a long time he hated getting the numbing cream put on his bump. Then, he despised taking his shirt off in the clinic.  After that, we had to start and stop the whole "access" process two or three times before he sat still enough.  Now, as you can see from today's album, he is an old pro.  It's almost like those first two years never happened.  As I've posted before, these clinic visits have become some good one-on-one time with Charlie.

While today was Charlie's last chemo push, you can see that he still has another 18 days of chemo pills.  Or at least he would if his ANC wasn't so low.  Charlie's counts were at 480, which all of you that follow along know is low enough to get him off meds for while.  We will be withholding Charlie's metho and 6MP for next week while his numbers rebound, but he still has to take his steroids this week (booooo!).  So, we still have a grumpy kid for the next three weeks, but after that we start to see a much more agreeable Charlie . . . hopefully for good.

Enjoy the album! Next up, Charlie gets his port removed on Thursday!  YEA!!!!!!  Check back soon.

Charlie's Last Chemo

End of Chemo Party Invite

Charlie's End of Chemo Party

Saturday, June15, 2013 at 11:30 am

7844 E Colgate PL Denver CO

Help us make this an event to remember! 

Food, Friends and Fun!

Come and Go, Lunch served at Noon.

RSVP to angela.hooper@gmail.com

or 720.375.1913

The Last Lumbar Puncture

The first of a series of very important "Lasts." Charlie's last Lumbar Puncture and chemo injection into his spinal fluid. I put a picture of him laying in recovery for the last time right next to the very first clinic appointment and spinal back in April of 2010. You can read about the first visit 8 days into his treatment here. It is so hard to believe that we are here, at the end of that LONG road that was so hard to navigate 3+ years ago. What a transformation! And just to point out... Puppy blanket was in attendance today, just stuck under the covers for the photo shoot.

Last LP 4/23/13

First LP 4/14/10

Light the Night Honored Hero 2013

Charlie has been asked by the LLS Rocky Mountain Chapter to be the Honored Hero for the 2013 Light the Night Walk!

As described by LLS, "An Honored Hero is a dedicated individual, patient or survivor of blood cancer, who provides inspiration and support to Light The Night participants, volunteers and staff. Honored Hero share their strength, courage and motivation with Light The Night walkers and provide encouragement. In return they are welcomed into a community of individuals fighting for a cure, providing hope to those affected by blood cancer."

The way we explained it to Charlie was that he gets to be THE LINE LEADER at the walk this year in September. For a competitive 6 year old, that is a BIG deal! In addition to being on the stage and kicking off the walk, Charlie will attend sponsorship events while Mom and Dad speak to the teams about their cancer story and the many benefits LLS provides. Look for more information as the year goes on and plan to join us for this worthwhile event.

If you are interested in joining our team please click here: Join our Team

Donations are always welcome! Follow this link to our team page: http://pages.lightthenight.org/rm/DenverL13/CharliesCancerCrushers

Charlie Visits the Dentist

Okay, confession time.  A couple weeks ago, Charlie visited the dentist for the first time.  I know, your saying, "He's six years old and just now going to the dentist for the first time?"  Well yes, and while that's most definitely too long, I'm going to pull the cancer card and play it.

The truth is we had him scheduled to go a few times, but it just happened that those appointments got scrubbed because his numbers were too low and I think one time he came down with something.  Oncology doesn't want him to go when he's susceptible to infection, so we had to cancel those appointments.  Well, the stars aligned and we were finally able to get him in.

It's always fun to post about new experiences, but I wanted to add this post to record and relay new information we learned.  We were told early on that the chemo could have an impact on the development of Charlie's teeth and whether or not I was told this specifically, I was always under the impression that his teeth would have weakened enamel and be more prone to get cavities.  I may have told this to some of you out there.  While that is still true, I also learned that the chemo could also make it so that some of his adult teeth never formed or never fully developed.  He could have teeny-tiny or be completely missing some of his adult teeth.

Well, let's don the lead cape and find out.  How exciting!

It turns out that Charlie has all of his adult teeth and all of them are fully formed.  Yea!  Charlie also did fantastic for his appointment.  It didn't hurt that both the doctor and tech that saw him were some pretty cool, young dudes.  The doctor was finishing his residency and was about to start his own pediatric practice and the tech had a pretty kickin' mohawk. They poked around and the diagnosis is that Charlie has some strong teeth and no cavities.  This is pretty surprising considering that I give him his meds every night mixed with strawberry pancake syrup.  On the flip side, one of Charlie's favorite snacks is apples . . .

Three Years Ago Today

This is the day that lives in infamy.  Three years ago today, Charlie was diagnosed.

It's funny, I think that day will always have an impact on the way we think, the things we do and most certainly the way we look at Charlie.  But I am happy to say that we've moved on.  So much so, that we almost let the day slip past without us even recognizing it.   Granted, our lives are busy.  Especially on Sundays while we are trying to get ready for the week and especially especially on Sundays of weeks that our mommy will be gone.  However, I can definitely say that while we may forget the date, we will never forget the day. 


Here's a picture to show through it all, he remains a happy, (somewhat) healthy little boy.

We love you Charlie! And we're so proud of you.