Cancer Affects the Whole Family

Hank has endured chemotherapy, tumor removal surgery, immunotherapy, multiple types of radiation, stem cell extraction, trial treatments, and countless hospitalizations. In June 2024, cancer spread to his brain, emergency surgery removed the tumor but left him with decreased mobility in his left arm and leg, requiring ongoing physical and occupational therapy. Most recently, tumors were found on his right shoulder and left leg.

Hank has shown extraordinary resilience through seven relapses, repeated procedures, and years of uncertainty. But the weight of it all is real  he is beginning to show signs of depression. His parents have carried immense caregiver stress and emotional exhaustion while balancing the needs of their other children and maintaining employment. The mental load never fully lifts.

Hank's illness has affected friendships, school attendance, participation in sports, and the chance to experience a typical childhood. His family's social world has contracted around the demands of treatment. They have had to move across the country during a pandemic to access specialized care that wasn't available close to home. Their Flower Mound community has become more important than ever.

The Carpenter family's faith has been deeply tested through years of relapses and uncertainty. Why our child? Where do we find strength when we have none left? These questions surface in hospital waiting rooms, in the car on the way home, at 3am. And yet  through every hard chapter, they have found renewed hope, deeper connection, and a commitment to supporting other families walking the same road.