September's Childhood Cancer Awareness efforts hold a very special place in the hearts of the Frison family from Bulloch County. In November of 2018, they lost their precious daughter and sister, Morgan, just after her last round of chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. She was only 4.
On Father's Day of 2018, it just so happened that the family was out visiting a church member who had leukemia. While her parents went inside the hospital, a seemingly healthy Morgan stayed in the car with her siblings and a relative.
When her parents came back outside, Morgan's eyes were swollen. She had been crying a little after a sibling spat, but when the swelling didn't go down, her parents took her to the ER.
After another visit to the ER plus two visits to the pediatrician, the only answer Morgan's parents were given was that she had "a bad sinus infection."
The family went ahead with a trip to Disney World they had already planned, but when they arrived at their hotel, Morgan was lethargic. Alarmed, her parents took her to the ER in Orlando. That's where someone finally drew blood to run labs.
As the family was getting off the ferry at the Magic Kingdom the next day, they got a call saying they needed to take Morgan to the nearest children's hospital immediately. Her bloodwork showed a problem.
Morgan went straight to Memorial Health Children's Hospital in Savannah, where she began treatment for acute myeloid leukemia. Morgan's aunt and uncle, her mom's sister and brother-in-law, moved here to care for her siblings. It was a long four months in Savannah for Morgan and her parents.
Morgan went into remission from her cancer after the first round of chemotherapy.
"But the last round is when things started to take a turn," her mom, Ciera Frison, shared.
On the last day of her chemo, Morgan's heart became enlarged, a known side effect of the chemo drug she was taking. She was moved to the ICU and placed on a ventilator. Though she remained alert during those two weeks, up and playing with her baby dolls, she was unable to speak and became tired and agitated on the vent.
At barely 4, Morgan was so young that she may not have fully grasped what was happening to her, but Ciera noticed a shift in her spirit towards the end.
"I'm sure she knew that it was different," Ciera said. "She knew she was tired, and as a mom, I knew she was tired."
Her parents were given the devastating news that Morgan's heart damage was not something she would be able to overcome. Her siblings were able to tell her they loved her, and the family made the heartbreaking choice to remove her from life support around 7pm on the 26th of November.
The next morning at 5:29am, Morgan passed away in her father Damien's arms.
Turning heartbreak into advocacy
While this type of loss is unfathomable for any parent, Ciera has now made it her mission to turn their personal loss into advocacy. Her goal is to increase awareness surrounding children's cancers and treatment options.
"Before Morgan, we didn't really think anything about children dying of cancer," she said. "As a parent with a child who went through it, we now sometimes feel we don't get enough recognition."
A lot of cancer funding goes toward adult cancers, Ciera noted. While all are of course worthy of research and funding, she said, more is needed for childhood cancers.
"The kids deserve a life, too," she said.
Ciera hopes that telling people about Morgan will make an impact on their awareness about the devastation of childhood cancer.
"Because of sharing her story, people remember," she said.
Ciera describes Morgan as having been a sassy "girly girl" who loved makeup, painting her nails, and playing with her babies. She also loved all things purple. Her sweet spirit will live on in her family, as they continue their advocacy work in her memory.
"She was full of life, and her presence is greatly missed," Ciera said.
CURE's Kids
During September’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, CURE Childhood Cancer hosts CURE's Kids. CURE's Kids empowers families to make an impact in the fight. Each day in September, we honor and remember children who have battled cancer as we partner with families to share their stories and ask the community to donate to critical research efforts. Since its inception, CURE's Kids has raised more than $2.5 million to further our efforts to conquer childhood cancer. To donate to Morgan's fundraising page, click here.
“Childhood cancer was life changing and earth shattering for us. The most difficult thing in the world is hearing that your child won’t make it. Our Morgan deserved better treatment options. Our hearts are constantly mourning the loss of our sweet girl. We continue to hold on to our faith knowing that she is no longer suffering and in the arms of our Master.”
-Ciera Frison
In Loving Memory of Morgan Shekinah Lavern Frison
August 9, 2014 -- November 27, 2018
Morgan's Obituary