The American Cancer Society says more than 28-thousand people were diagnosed with some form of cancer last year in our state. While you typically think of cancer as being an adult problem, kids do face the diagnosis as well. When a family gets a cancer diagnosis it's never easy. The diagnosis is not just difficult for the individual with cancer, but the entire family. No one knows that better than the Frank family.

Six year old Sarah Frank doesn't let a whole lot hold her back. "I ride my bike a lot," says Sarah with a big smile. While Sarah enjoys doing the things most six years old's do, she's also spent some of her days in a hospital. "My baby sister has cancer," explains Sarah.

Her baby sister, Abby, is fighting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Abby and Sarah's parents, Kerry and Paul, say they knew something was wrong. Abby got a cold last November. It was not your usual cold, it got worse and worse and didn't clear up with antibiotics. Before long Abby was wanting to be carried all the time, wasn't active like a normal two and a half year old, and her lips would turn a bluish gray when she did walk around. "You never want to believe that your child is going to be the one who has some sort of critical illness, even though as a mother, we are just innately born with that intuition where we know there is something wrong. I think that's a gift and we have to listen to it," explained Kerry. The Frank's took their daughter to the doctor. Blood was drawn and labs were done. It was the results of those labs that prompted their doctor to encourage the Frank's to take Abby to the children's hospital. At the children's hospital in Madison, tests upon tests were done and shortly before midnight, Kerry was told the oncologist would be in shortly. "I think in my heart I knew something was very wrong with Abby. I think that if I had to be honest I think I knew going into it, this was not, this was not a normal childhood illness and we would not be leaving the hospital that night," said Kerry.

Then Kerry heard the words, no parent wants to hear--your child has cancer. "The whole world melts away, everything goes away, there is no other world when you hear your child has cancer, there is no other world. It's, it's only you and your child," Kerry recounted.

Immediately the Frank family went from carefree days to dealing with doctors appointments, medications, and a re-balancing of family life. "I think it was the hardest in the beginning and then once you get a routine down and it just becomes part of your everyday life, you know it kind of calms down a little bit. The first month was the hardest," explained Paul.

The entire family had its world turned upside down. Sarah went from being home schooled to attending public school and she spends time playing in activity rooms at the hospital while two and a half year old Abby gets treatments. The Frank's spend a lot of time at the Children's Hospital in Madison. There, Dr. Carol Diamond and her team treat Abby's cancer. "There's very good treatment. There's chemotherapy primarily," said Dr. Diamond.

Just a little over a week ago, Abby got another round of chemo. It's an intense process. Abby has labs drawn the night before. The next morning they check her over again and Abby is sedated. Then she's given what's common known as a spinal tap. "I collected a small amount of her spinal fluid and then I injected a chemo therapy that should help protect her brain and her spinal fluid from leukemia cells that might be hiding there," explained Dr. Diamond.

The procedure is fairly fast and then it's a waiting game. Nurses watch Abby's vital signs and ensure she is safe. "She sleeps. She sleeps pretty much until she wakes up," explained Kerry while sitting in the children's hospital.

Six months into treatment, the Frank's have grown accustomed to the process, but they have a long road ahead. "They said the process was 2 and a half years and I said, "What?"," laughed Paul. it's not just a month or two it's a whole lifestyle change for that time," explained Paul.

The lifestyle change has affected Paul and Kerry. "I think it's been hardest on Kerry because I go to work eight hours of the day so you know it's 24-7 for her and so it's definitely hardest on mom," explained Paul.

It's hard on Abby. After her spinal chemo treatments, she's very uncomfortable and her mood can change at the drop of a hat. "It's very hard. It's hard on her, it's hard on Sarah and it's hard on us. It's definitely not easy... Definitely worth it," said Kerry looking at Abby in her arms, "no it's not," responded Abby.

Day by day and minute by minute it's also difficult for big sister, Sarah! "Sometimes I feel a little bit jealous about my sister because she gets to do like, lots of times, she gets to do more things than me," Sarah said. "I think there are times she feels very jealous and she feels very sad that she doesn't have the time with this parent or that parent," said Kerry.

The Frank's work very hard to show both children they're special. Since a lot of attention is focused on Abby's illness, they offer Sarah date nights with her parents and they try to involve her in treatments by letting her go to SuperSibs and organization that works with siblings of those who have cancer. However, amidst all the up's and down's there is hope for easier and carefree days ahead. "The majority of children, like Abby, will be cured. Probably up to 90% of the children just like Abby will be cured for their Leukemia and it will not recur," said Dr. Diamond.

The Frank's focus on that prognosis and all those who are on Abby's team to make her a survivor. "In my head in my life right now, I just know that it's going to be okay... I know so long as we just take each step that each step will be a miracle and at the end of it we'll have one big miracle," beamed Kerry.

The Frank family's story is not uncommon, but Abby's form of cancer is rare. St. Jude's Research Hospital says about three thousand children each year are diagnosed with ALL, the type of cancer Abby is fighting.

To keep track of Abby's progress you may log onto her caring bridge site. Click here to see Abby's Progress:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/abbyfrank

To learn about the organization SuperSibs:
http://www.supersibs.org

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls

The UW American Family Children's Hospital in Madison:
http://www.uwhealth.org/americanfamilychildrenshospital/madisonwisconsin/10260?utm_source=vurl

The Ronald McDonald House of Madison:
http://www.rmhcmadison.org/contact%2Dus/

St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital:
http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f2bfab46cb118010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD