9-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Gets Surprise Birthday Party
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A big birthday surprise for a young cancer survivor in the east metro Saturday.
Trenton Karl was diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia when he was 5 years old.
He turned 9 Saturday and was surprised with a party at Jersey Mike's in St. Anthony Village.
His treatment plan caused major muscle and joint pain resulting in him needing to wear leg splints.
Trenton says he was bullied in school from side effects from chemo, forcing him to switch to a new school.
Through it all, he never gave up on his studies.
"He's really fitting in now, really enjoys going to school," Trenton's father Chad Karl said.
"We found it makes a big difference too when you just sit down to talk to the kids to just answer a couple of their questions, because once they find out what's going on with him they're back to normal," mom Amanda Karl said. "They're just best friends and it's amazing what happens when they actually understand what's wrong with the kids instead of just picking on them."
Trenton's parents say they're beyond thankful that they can call their son a survivor instead of a fighter.
They say a lot of their support came from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which has invested more than $1 billion in research.