Outpouring of love, support is best medicine for child battling cancer

Facing the storms that come with battling cancer is tough for any patient and their loved ones, and that is especially so when a child is stricken. As Sarah Johnson struggles with cancer, Mater Dolorosa School and Church in Independence and the surrounding community have rallied around her as she fights the disease with courage and hope. 

Sarah, a second-grader at Mater Dolorosa School, struggled with a urinary tract infection the first week of the 2023-2024 school year. Local doctors prescribed antibiotics that weren’t successfully treating it, according to her mother, Tina Johnson. 

One Saturday, Sarah’s family was at Hammond restaurant for breakfast when Sarah said she felt very ill and cried, “My legs hurt. I can’t walk.” 

Tina and her mother took Sarah to the emergency room at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, where a nurse practitioner took blood samples from the child. A short while later the doctor supervising the ER room that night walked into the room. 

“(The doctor closed the door), and it was just me and my mom,” said Tina. “He said, ‘At the moment her white blood cell is high. Her red blood count is normal, but her platelets are extremely high. It looks like leukemia.’” 

Sarah was admitted to the hospital while the samples were sent to St. Jude Research Children’s Hospital in Memphis for further testing. Tina called her husband, Luke, who was with their oldest daughter, Ava. After a couple of phone calls asking to have a priest come to the hospital, Father Joshua Johnson, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Baton Rouge, arrived. 

“He was there in 20 minutes and was at Sarah’s bedside and praying with us. I’m thankful for that,” Tina said. 

The test result came back and confirmed Sarah had leukemia. She was going to be transferred to St. Jude. 

Tina’s mother stayed with Sarah at the hospital while Tina and Luke hurriedly packed at home. 

“It was nerve wracking getting back to the hospital,” said Tina. “There was a wreck on I-12, and everything was at a dead stop.” 

Top Right Picture: Pictured is Sarah during her stay at St. Jude Hospital. Her treatments alternate between Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge and St. Jude in Memphis. Photos by Tina Johnson 
Above Photo: Sarah keeps a positive attitude while undergoing treatments.

Sarah cried because she had a severe fever and leg pain and wanted her parents with her. Tina slept the night in a recliner next to Sarah’s bed, holding her daughter’s hand. If she got up, Sarah woke up and said, “Ooh, you’re not leaving me.” 

Sarah was scheduled to receive her First Communion this spring with her class. However, Father Reuben Dykes heard her First Reconciliation and gave her First Communion early so she could be in a state of grace before her journey out of state. The next day, Sarah was taken by ambulance to St. Jude. 

Tina described St. Jude as “one of the happiest, saddest places on Earth” because they saw children with scars on their heads from getting brain tumors removed, limbs removed, and other signs of the ravages of cancer – and yet, Tina said, “the kids are happy and smiling.” 

She added, “St. Jude is phenomenal. They do everything they can to help the patient and their family as a whole. If there is anything you need, they are going to try to get it to make you feel more comfortable and at home.” There’s a commons area and a salon for patients’ families, as well as a creativity room for kids with a 3D printer. There are also Golden Retriever service dogs to visit the children, which Sarah enjoys most. 

“They are cute and cuddly and love on you when you're sad,” she said. 

Sarah had an emotional first reunion when she returned to Mater Dolorosa School to see her fellow students. Pictured is her mom, Tina, in a tearful reunion with her oldest daughter, Ava. Photo by Richard Meek | The Hammond Daily Star

When Sarah came home in December on a break from St. Jude after several month of treatment, tears flowed as her classmates, teachers, and faculty greeted her. Tina also had a tearful reunion with her oldest daughter, Ava, a seventh grader at Mater Dolorosa School.  

Sarah distributed gift bags to her classmates that contained items purchased at the St. Jude gift shop, which included a St. Jude medal, a prayer card blessed by Father Dykes, and other trinkets. 

Tina happily reports that Sarah is doing great.  

Sarah felt well enough to visit her school and attend a Mardi Gras Parade at Mater Dolorosa School in February.  Photos by Tina Johnson

“She has been very energetic and enjoying the spring weather outside when she can,” said Tina. “(Because her treatments have knocked her blood counts extremely low), we had to keep her from going out in public and playing outside to prevent bug bites or any falls. With the warm sunshine we've been having, it’s quite hard to keep her inside and still. She loves the outdoors.” 

Twice a week Sarah meets privately with her teacher for 30 minutes to an hour to go over what the class has been learning.  

“She is doing great with her academics and is not falling behind, which was a big concern of mine. I am very grateful that she is allowed to go to school some,” said Tina. 

Sarah was well enough to attend the school's annual Mardi Gras parade and snow cone day and visited with classmates and caught lots of goodies.  

“She had an absolute blast,” said Tina. “Her classmates and other students in the school are always so excited to see Sarah. They all want to tell her ‘Hello.’ It is very moving.” 

Sarah also attended her first LSU women's basketball game on Feb. 11 when the Lady Tigers beat Alabama.  

“Sarah has played basketball since she was four years old and loves it. She had lots of fun at the game,” Tina said. “Her sister, Ava, and cousin, Brielle, were with her. They had the best time trying to get on the big jumbotron. They made it on there twice.” 

Because Sarah has complications of pancreatitis, for the next three years she will be traveling back and forth between Memphis and Baton Rouge for treatments. But Sarah and her family are full of hope due to ongoing support on the home front and St. Jude, which Tina said does incredible work in ending childhood cancer.  

Sarah’s words of encouragement to other children fighting cancer are, “Mother Mary is praying for you and Jesus is watching over you.” 

A thrill for Sarah was watching the LSU Lady Tigers beat Alabama.