Rubber snakes, tarantulas, and practical jokes! Sounds pretty common for a 9 year-old boy, right? Imagine this boy, with flaming red hair, scaring his doctors and nurses with creepy crawly toys while he is undergoing extremely difficult chemotherapy treatments for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Talk to those who know Colby Henrichs and this does not surprise them. A 5th grader at Piedmont Elementary, Colby is just like other boys. He likes baseball, basketball, football, hanging around with his friends, riding his 4-wheeler and his new interest, hunting.
But what could it have been like for Colby and his mom on March 31, 2008? This is the day Colby learned he had Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). "I never thought that someone I loved would get cancer, but when I got the news that my son Colby could have leukemia my heart broke," said Cheryl Henrichs, Colby’s mom. The very next day Colby started his courageous fight against this horrible disease with 5 weeks of intense chemotherapy.
Colby’s treatment for ALL is a three year long process ending June 4, 2011. Now in the maintenance stage of his treatment, which is the final stage, Colby goes to the hospital twice a month to receive a chemotherapy injection and to check his blood counts. He also must take oral chemotherapy every evening and steroids for five days every month. If that isn’t bad enough every three months he has a spinal tap to make sure the spinal fluid is clear of leukemia blast. "It is very hard for me to see him lying in a hospital bed when he is so sick and I can’t make it better and when he is getting the spinal and is crying because he is hurting," said Colby’s mom Cheryl.
Because the costs of leukemia treatment – emotional, financial, and otherwise – can be huge, Piedmont High School’s DUCK Week Committee selected Colby and his mom as the DUCK Week 2010 recipient.
DUCK Week is an award winning, Piedmont High School Student Council charitable program that encourages the participation of every student in every Piedmont school to make a difference in the life of a child. Last year’s contributions exceeded $100,000. The students have set a goal for this year to once again exceed the $100,000 mark.
You can help by providing a financial contribution. Colby and his mom receive 100% of all money raised during DUCK Week 2010, March 8-12. The theme for this year’s activities is Duck Week Studios, celebrating the movies of Dreamworks and Disney/Pixar.
As teachers, parents and community leaders, we try to teach our students what it means to help those in need and encourage them to sacrifice a bit of themselves for the sake of others. Whether it is some of their time or their energy, every bit helps. DUCK Week supporters demonstrate these lessons through their actions and have shown that when a community pulls together amazing things can happen. This is best represented in the movie Toy Story and the theme song, "You’ve Got A Friend In Me."
What do the movies Shrek, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Cars, and Madagascar have in common? They teach us to care for others for there is nothing greater than to surround ourselves with the love and friendship of others. Please join us as we show Colby "You’ve Got A Friend In Us" and consider supporting the students of Piedmont with a financial contribution to assist Colby and his mom with their ever-increasing medical expenses. If you have questions about a contribution or our DUCK Week activities please do not hesitate to contact us at 373-5011 or visit the DUCK Week link at www.piedmontschools.org.