c[CG :L 27 LOWER THIRD 2 FIELDS\JOY SYPERT\SON HAS LEUKEMIA] <:31>
[CG :L 33 LOWER THIRD 2 FIELDS\JOY SYPERT\SON HAS LEUKEMIA] <:31>
[CG :L 27 LOWER THIRD 2 FIELDS\JACOB SYPERT\HAS LEUKEMIA] <:37>
[CG :L 33 LOWER THIRD 2 FIELDS\JACOB SYPERT\HAS LEUKEMIA] <:37>
[CG :L 27 LOWER THIRD 2 FIELDS\DR. JEFFREY HORD\ACH DIR. HEMATOLOGY ONCOLOGY] <1:24>
[CG :L 33 LOWER THIRD 2 FIELDS\DR. JEFFREY HORD\ACH DIR. HEMATOLOGY ONCOLOGY] <1:24>
"I have leukemia", says Jacob Sypert, a five year old with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
Aside from his illness, he is just like any other five year old.
"I think I'm just gonna watch TV and eat pickles."
It all started when Jacob's mom noticed he would bruise very easily and was coughing with a high fever.
She took him to the doctors and abnormal blood tests led them to Akron Children's Hospital.
After a bone marrow biopsy and spinal tap, the results came back positive for leukemia.
His mom couldn't believe what she heard.
"Oh we were devastated. Crying, devastated. It was awful. But things are a lot better now", says Joy Sypert.
"Mom gave it to me, when I was a sick kid. (You're not sick now?) I'm still sick, and that's why I still have him."
Joy says, "Akron children's here is wonderful, the doctors, the staff. They're wonderful. They're wonderful with the kids, they're also supportive with the parents."
"No. (How bout spiderman?) Yep!"{"I saw one. You passed one."
"Here, let me dig through them for you."
Treatment is typically out patient, unless there are problems or you get an infection, which is why Jacob is back at the hospital.
But he doesn't mind his visits.
Jacob says, "Well, I really like, I really like the part when we go to the cafeteria and we go into the play area, that way."
The hospital has done a lot of different studies with Jacob's leukemia.
Research is an active part of Akron Children's Hospital.
Doctor Hord says, "Our goal, everyday, is to make little steps toward curing everyone of cancer. And I think that that will likely happen in the future."
Dr. Hord says in 45 years, the survival rate for cancer has gone from no one surviving, to almost four out of five surviving.
And with all the new ways of treating cancer and novel agents he thinks they're very close to a 100% cure rate.
"So it's been quite a success story and a lot of that has to do with working together. All these institutions working together to come up with improved treatment plans."
But until that time, Dr. Hord will continue doing his best to make kids not only feel better, but also smile.
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