AJ Hounshell @AdenJaceHounshell
Life has been crazy and while I have not met AJ or his family, I had the opportunity to ask his dad Troy some questions. Here is a little bit about AJ:
- What does AJ like to do? He loved playing football with his friends at Trinity Christian School. He had never played before and really enjoyed his first year – he should be able to play again in his Junior year of high school. He also enjoyed throwing the discus in track – he should be able to do that again next year. He is awesome with Lego building, especially when it comes to Star Wars. He loves everything Star Wars! He likes to watch YouTube and TikTok videos, and hang with friends.
- How old is AJ? 13
- Where does he go to school? He goes to Trinity Christian School, although he is currently enrolled in the homebound program through Laura Bush Middle School – he should be able to resume at Trinity in the fall!
- What does AJ want others to know about him? That he is a Christian, that he likes to encourage others to do their best, and that he tries to be a good friend
- How did you find out he had Leukemia? – The week before Thanksgiving last year, he started running a fever that would never fully resolve. He complained of being tired, but we didn’t think much of that because he was getting to school at 6:30 am for sports. We took him to the doctor on two separate occasions where he tested negative for Strep and flu. Everyone just assumed it was a viral infection. After all, there were many other kids missing school around that time due to similar symptoms. However, the day after taking him to a walk-in clinic, he woke up with a heart rate of about 150 beats/minute and was having a little trouble breathing. We got him into his regular pediatrician the same day, who noticed his liver was enlarged and tender. She ordered blood work. The next day while on our way to Amarillo to watch his sister play basketball, we received a call from the pediatrician telling us that we needed to head to the hospital and meet with a hematologist because of the blood work results. That evening, several more tests were run, and we were told that he was likely sick because of 1) Mono, 2) Leukemia, or 3) Bone marrow failure. Advanced blood testing was needed before a definitive diagnosis could be given. We received that the next day.
- What is his date of diagnosis? December 11, 2019 – Acute B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia. This is known as “ALL” – several weeks later, it was further diagnosed as a more rare version called “hypodiploid” B-Cell ALL
- AJ was born and raised in Lubbock and his older sister, Ava, is 15 and a freshman at Lubbock Cooper. She is a great athlete and plays both volleyball and basketball. His parents, Troy and Denay, are both physical therapists.
#AJForcesOutCancer #AJHasTheForce #TheForce #TheFordceisJesus #AJStrong
