Bone Cancer Strikes 1 In Family Of Triplets
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Deasey triplets were born about 18 years ago.
They were a blessing, but an issue surfaced early on. Patrick and Shannon developed a retina problem.
They treated it with radiation, but it was that very treatment that may have opened the door to another obstacle for Patrick.
"I just had a nosebleed that wouldn't stop bleeding," said Patrick. "It wouldn't stop for three or four days.
He went into the doctor. What they found was osteosarcoma, a bone cancer in his nose, which is likely probably due to the treatment he received as an infant.
"The hardest thing a parent can do," said his mother of the ordeal. "We sometimes refer to it as 'Our Unfair Journey.'"
"It takes your breath away," said his father. "The last thing you want to do is see one of your kids go through what we've had to put Pat through.
Patrick was supposed to playing football for unbeaten St. Thomas Academy this fall. But instead, it's his brother holding up the family name. He too sat out some with injury, but nothing as severe as what's affecting his brother.
"We've always had each other. That's never changed," explained Patrick's sister Shannon. "We've always been best friends."
Patrick has seen this circumstance as an opportunity to prove he's been raised right and is made of the right stuff. And all of them have learned that their brother has something that allows him to shine through the dark days.
"We've learned more from Pat than I think anything," said his father. "How he's reacted to it has been, I think, amazing."
And, as St. Thomas Academy's season continues on, Patrick in particular has learned how special it is to have a brother and sister who care this much.
