The Lancaster family tries to live life to the fullest, nearly three years after their son William was diagnosed with cancer.
Laura Lancaster, her husband Doug and their triplet children William, Saylor and Wyatt had returned home to Columbus from a 2014 vacation with William complaining of aches and a lump in his throat.
During visits to Riley Children’s Hospital, William went through ultrasounds, an MRI and a bone marrow biopsy that determined.
On Dec. 18, 2014, they learned that William had been disgnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, his mother said.
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He immediately began chemotherapy and eventually underwent 63 blood transfusions, she said.
“It’s heartbreaking and scary,” Laura Lancaster said. “When it hits, it hits hard.”
The Lancasters were nominated for the National Family Week recognition by Rhonda Bolner, a family friend.
Bolner described the Lancaster triplets as close-knit siblings who do everything together and are respectful of others.
“They share a special bond and you can see it in those three,” Bolner said.
In Bolner’s nomination letter, she wrote that the family held together through William’s leukemia due to their faith and a great family of friends and believers.
“If William was admitted to Riley, you could bet that the siblings were right there with him … encouraging him, entertaining him, praying for him and generally just trying to help occupy his mind and time while he was in the hospital,” Bolner wrote.
William spent a total of 130 days in and out of the hospital and endured two years of chemotherapy, in addition to pills and oral medications for treatment, Laura Lancaster said.
What carried the family through was their faith and the five of them being together and everyone helping each other out, she said.
William, now 13, ended his cancer treatment a year ago, returning to the hospital only for monthly follow-ups.
The Lancasters’ experience has changed their family, Laura Lancaster said.
“We try to wake up every morning and try to make everyday count,” Laura Lancaster said.
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Laura and Doug Lancaster, who reside in Columbus, are the parents of 13-year-old triplets William, Wyatt and Saylor. Laura Lancaster is a stay-at-home mom, while her husband works in security for Indianapolis Power & Light.
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