JENKS, Okla. — After the cancer diagnosis of their 2-year-old daughter, a Jenks family is giving back to the organization that made battling a hard diagnosis a little bit easier.
Through many trials, the Pigott family kept their faith as a focal point, leading them through the highs and lows. It’s been 14 years since learning Halie Pigott was facing a long road to recovery. Looking back, Halie’s mom, Jennifer, was reminded of the journey.
“The radiologist said it's cancer,” Jennifer recalled.
After a family trip, Jennifer said her then 2-year-old, Halie, wasn't quite right.
“She wasn't feeling really good on the cruise,” Jennifer said. “She kind of just wanted to be held a lot, but we were like, oh, she's not feeling good."
A couple of days later, Halie woke up with what looked like a large lymph node on her neck, so her parents took her to get medical care in Texas, where they lived at the time.
“They thought she had pneumonia and strep,” Jennifer said.
Halie’s mom said she was sent home to get better, but she knew it was more serious.
“You really have to advocate for your kids because they just kept acting like we were overreacting,” Jennifer stated. “[They said] we weren't giving the medicines enough time to work."
Finally, a month later, the Pigotts said they got answers. Halie had neuroblastoma.
“I remember looking at him going, what is that? Is that cancer? He goes, yes. He told us to go straight to Texas Children’s Hospital and not go home."
The cancer was stage four, and Halie was facing a long road of treatments. That included six rounds of chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, stem cell transplant, immunotherapy, and a clinical trial for monoclonal antibodies.
“I just remember praying, and a friend of ours just sent us a text during the night and was just like, get rest, just like Moses, when God told him he had to hold up the staff, and as long as he held it up, he would be victorious,” Jennifer said. “But when he got tired, other people came and held up his arms."
That would go on to be the theme for Halie and her family for the next decade, as she faced good days and bad days.
“She’s doing amazing,” Halie’s mom said. “We have some long-term side effects. She has hearing loss and a few other things, but she's doing amazing. She has been completely cancer free."
Now, the Pigotts want to be there to hold up the arms of other families facing the unimaginable. A burden too great to carry alone.
They found that through Sky High for Kids, a nonprofit working to provide support to children undergoing treatment for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
“Last year, they were funding the immuno-therapy board at Texas Children’s, so as a mom who went through that knowing there would be a whole board, a whole team of people who were trained..."
The Pigotts jumped at the chance to join the board and provide other families with the support they deserve. They began fundraising in Tulsa within the last two years after relocating to Oklahoma.
Through Sky High, families can find comfort in knowing what's next. The organization is saving kids through advanced medical studies and comfort programs.
“You feel like, OK, we are going to get through this because God is hearing my prayers,” Jennifer said. “He may not always answer them how I want him to, but he's there."
In 2022, Sky High for Kids raised a record-breaking $5 million to benefit leading hospitals and research centers nationwide.
Tulsa is new to the list of cities participating in raising money for the nonprofit but recently raised $260,000 in its second annual Tulsa golf tournament and Ladies Who Lunch event.
For a list of events or more information on Sky High, click here.
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