DOWNTOWN. LOCAL 4 NEWS AT 5 30 STARTS NOW. A LOCAL FAMILY BATTLING CANCER AND TRYING TO
HELP OTHERS IN THE SAME FIGHT
SAVES LIVES, AND IT’S SAVED MY
SON’S LIFE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT THE
FIRST TIME OR EVEN THE SECOND
TIME THAT THIS CLARKSTON
FAMILIES FACED OFF WITH CANCER.
THIS TIME, THOUGH, IT’S
DIFFERENT. OUR DOCTOR FRIEND
MCGEORGE IS HERE NOW, WITH THEIR
STORY, FRANK, KAREN AND DEVIN.
YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT THE BUCHANAN
FAMILY, THE MORE IN AWE. YOU’LL
BE DAD. MATT IS A RETIRED MARINE
AND PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT.
EMILY IS A TWO TIME BREAST
CANCER SURVIVOR, AND THEY HAVE
THREE KIDS REAGAN, JACKSON AND
WILSON LAST FALL, THEY REALIZED
SOMETHING WRONG WAS WITH
JACKSON. HE STARTED GETTING
BRUISES A LOT MORE THAN NORMAL.
I MEAN, YOU EXPECT A LITTLE BIT
FROM FOUR YEAR OLDS. BUCHANAN
WERE CONCERNED JACKSON HAS
AUTISM AND WASN’T ABLE TO SHARE
HOW HE WAS FEELING. JACKSON’S
PEDIATRICIAN ORDERED BLOOD WORK
DOCTOR CALLED AFTER HOURS SAYING
YOU NEED TO GET HIM TO THE
HOSPITAL NOW. AND PACK A BAG
BECAUSE YOU’RE GOING TO BE THERE
FOR A LITTLE BIT. MATT IS A
CONTRACTOR WORKING OVERSEAS. HE
HAD JUST LEFT ON A 2.5 MONTH
ASSIGNMENT. HE HAD JUST LEFT, UM
TO BE IN IRAQ, AND SO I HAD TO
FACETIME HIM FROM THE HOSPITAL
AND TELL THEM WHAT WAS GOING ON
AND OLD JACKSON WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH ALS, ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC
LEUKEMIA. IT WAS REALLY HARD.
HE’S. THE SWEETEST KID. HE HAS
AUTISM. HE WOULDN’T HURT A FLY.
CAN’T TELL US WHAT’S WRONG BEGAN
CHEMOTHERAPY IMMEDIATELY. IT’S
BEEN VERY HARD ON HIM. JUST
HELPLESS. YOU JUST YOU DON’T
WANT YOUR BABIES TO HER. YOU
KNOW, THEY ALWAYS SAY. UM A
MOTHER IS ONLY AS HAPPY AS HER.
UNHAPPIEST CHILD AND IT’S PRETTY
UNHAPPY. IT’S DIFFICULT FOR BIG
SISTER REAGAN, TOO. I FEEL LIKE
A LITTLE BIT WORRIED ABOUT HIM
BECAUSE, LIKE HE CAN’T REALLY DO
THAT MUCH STUFF LIKE PLAYERS
STUFF BECAUSE, LIKE HE HAS TO GO
TO THE HOSPITAL AND LIKE, YOU
KNOW, LIKE YES TO STAY THERE FOR
A COUPLE OF DAYS SOMETIMES, AND
HE HAS TO LIKE, YOU KNOW, GET
MEDICINE AND SHOTS, AND EMILY
HERSELF BATTLED BREAST CANCER AT
JUST 29 A SECOND TIME DURING HER
THIRD PREGNANCY. I KNOW SOME OF
THE SYMPTOMS HE’S HAVING. I KNOW
HOW THAT FEELS. BUT IT ALSO
BREAKS MY HEART EVEN MORE THAT I
KNOW HOW THAT FEELS. JACKSON HAS
ALSO NEEDED MULTIPLE
TRANSFUSIONS OF BLOOD AND
PLATELETS BEEN LIFESAVING. WE’VE
WATCHED HIM COME BACK TO LIFE.
AFTER A TRANSFUSION AND I THINK
HIS FIRST ONE WAS OUR FIRST DAY
IN THE HOSPITAL. FRIENDS QUICKLY
HELPED ORGANIZE BLOOD DRIVES AT
A NEARBY CHURCH AND REAGAN
SCHOOL ONCE I THINK WE REALIZED
, YOU KNOW, HE WOULD NOT BE HERE
TODAY. IF IT WEREN’T FOR DONORS
WERE LIKE LET’S GET MORE, YOU
KNOW, BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH THAT
BLOOD DOESN’T NECESSARILY GO TO
JACKSON, IT’S GOING TO PEOPLE
WHO MEET IT AT THE SCHOOL BLOOD
DRIVE RECIPIENTS RECEIVED. THANK
YOU CARDS FROM THE KIDS AND
BRACELETS WITH JACKSON’S NAME,
LIKE, HAPPY AND EXCITED, AND I
FELT LIKE SO MUCH EMOTIONS
BECAUSE, LIKE I’M JUST LIKE, OH,
MY GOSH. I’M SO EXCITED WAS
ELIGIBLE TO GIVE FOR THE FIRST
TIME SINCE BEATING CANCER. YOU
GET A LITTLE NOTIFICATION ON
YOUR PHONE WHEN IT GOES
SOMEWHERE TO HELP SOMEONE, AND I
JUST THINK THAT’S SO COOL. IT’S
SO COOL TO SEE YOUR BLOOD’S
GOING HERE TO THIS HOSPITAL TO
SAVE SOMEONE TODAY. I HOPE MANY
MORE PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO
GIVE TO HELP KIDS LIKE JACKSON.
AND COUNTLESS OTHERS SHORTAGES
HAPPEN, AND I JUST CAN’T IMAGINE
THAT NOT BEING AN OPTION FOR HIM
A SAVES LIVES AND IT’S SAVED MY
SON’S LIFE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
YEAH. NOW JACKSON STILL HAS
ABOUT A MONTH OF HIS CURRENT
CHEMOTHERAPY, AND AFTER THAT
HE’S GOING TO CONTINUE TREATMENT
FOR ABOUT A YEAR, EMILY SAYS. HE
IS DOING AS WELL AS POSSIBLE AND
THEY ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE
SUPPORT OF THEIR VILLAGE. NOW
YOU CAN HELP KIDS LIKE JACKSON
BY DONATING BLOOD TOMORROW FROM
11 TO 4 45 AT THE GARDENER,
WHITE STORES AND ARBOR,
ROCHESTER HILLS AND TAYLOR OR ON
THURSDAY AT THE GARDENER, WHITE
STORES IN AUBURN HILLS, CANTON,
HOWELL, NOVI, SAGINAW, SHELBY
TOWNSHIP, WORN AND WATERFORD AND
YOU CAN FIND ALL OF THE DETAILS
AND THE LINK TO MAKE AN
APPOINTMENT ON THE HEALTH PAGE
AT CLICKONDETROIT.COM EASY TO DO
, THAT’S FOR SURE. ALRIGHT
SPEAKING OF GARDNER WHITE, I
KNOW THERE’S SOMETHING ELSE TO
THE STORY. WHEN WE WERE SHOOTING
THE STORY. WE COULDN’T HELP BUT
NOTICE. ACTUALLY THE CANON
FAMILY HAD, LIKE KIND OF A ROUGH
LOOKING COUCH, ACTUALLY. AND SO
WHEN YOU HAVE A CHILD BATTLING
CANCER AND A PARENT THAT’S
OVERSEAS SHOPPING FOR A COUCH IS
CLEARLY NOT A PRIORITY. BUT OUR
PARTNERS AT GARDNER WHITE WELL,
THEY HAD A SURPRISE FOR THE
FAMILY. SO EMILY, WE NOTICED
THAT YOUR FAMILY REALLY NEEDED A
NEW COUCH. SO OUR PARTNERS THAT
GARDNER WHITE THEY WERE SO
IMPRESSED WITH EVERYTHING THAT
YOU’RE DOING TO HELP OTHERS IN
THE MIDST OF YOUR OWN STRUGGLE
THAT THEY WANT TO GIVE YOUR
FAMILY A NEW SOFA. I GOSH, SO
AWESOME. WE NEED ONE SO BAD. I’M
SO EXCITED. IT IS. VERY
APPRECIATE IT. OF COURSE, WE’LL
CHECK BACK AND WHEN THE COUCHES
DELIVERED, AND WE’RE GONNA HOPE
TO SEE LOTS OF PEOPLE OUT,
DONATING A GARDENER WHITE STORES
TOMORROW AND THURSDAY SO COOL OF