It's one thing to be a nurse at Hurley; it's another to find out that YOUR child is the one who needs treatment.

That's what happened to Lacracha Handy. Her son, Tavares, is on the autism spectrum, which is already a challenge for any parent.

In April of 2016, Tavares was trying out for the fourth-grade track team when he fell. Not once, but twice. Afterward, he noticed a small bump on his left leg, which kept getting bigger and even resulted in Tavares dragging his leg.

Lacracha took him to the doctor where they got the news that NO parent ever wants to hear - Tavares had osteosarcoma (bone cancer).

"I almost fell off the table. I knew what that was," Lacracha said. "It hit him so hard because Tavares loves school. When he found out that he wouldn't be able to go to school, he lost it. Here I'm crying because my son has cancer; he's crying because he's gotta miss school."

Tavares went through 29 weeks of chemotherapy at Hurley Children's Hospital and had to use a walker and a wheelchair that was given to him by the physical therapy department.

Tavares is now in 8th grade at Carman Ainsworth and is a member of the MO PEEPS robotics team, which one the state design award this year. His favorite subjects are Spanish and Science; he's taking math classes for high school credit.

He still gets bloodwork and treatment, but it's every six months and eventually, there won't be ANY visits. And that's a good thing.

"Our kids really need us, and they rely on our support for the Children's Miracle Network," said Lacracha.

courtesy of Hurley Children's Hospital
courtesy of Hurley Children's Hospital
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Can YOU be a miracle maker for kids like Tavares? Call 877-719-KIDS (5437) or text HURLEY to 51555 to donate.

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