Ep. 95 Gold Star Mom, Losing Son, Landon, To Rare Bone Cancer, & Feeling Loss-Janet’s American Story

Janet Henscheid grew up on a dairy farm in Idaho.  Her father was a WW2 veteran and wanted his family to live in peaceful surrounding.

Janet moved to Idaho to go to school.  She and her husband, Don, have lived in Utah, Wyoming, and Arizona.

Janet and Don are patriotic.  They raised their five kids to be patriotic.

Like many others, September 11, 2001 transformed their family dynamic for years.  Their son, Cody, was 15 and their younger son, Landon, was only 12.

Cody was only 17 in 2003 when Janet and Don agreed to sign him up to become a soldier.  Cody went to basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky the summer between his junior and senior year in high school.  

Their younger son, Landon, followed suit, attending basic training between his junior and senior year.

Both boys came back from basic training changed.  They were now responsible adults.

Cody was assigned to a transportation unit.  He served 18 months in Iraq.  Cody suffered brain damage when the semi he was in was hit by an IED.  He was awarded the bronze star.

Janet had no idea about PTSD when Cody came home for R&R.  He was changed, quiet, and reclusive.  Cody's injuries are unseen.  It took 10 years to get him discharged from service.

Cody has endured addiction and divorce.  Through healing, he now finds support in his wife and solace in fishing.

Landon was in civil affairs.  He spent his time speaking with village elders while on his first deployment in Afghanistan. 

Landon was assigned as a combat medic for his second deployment.  Six months into this deployment, life took a drastic turn for him.

Janet recalls feeling uneasy about this deployment.  She was nervous.

On June 16,  Landon was injured and medevacked out.  On June 21, Janet was finally able to speak to her son.  He was having a lot of back pain, something Landon attributed to the heavy equipment he carried, but it got to the point where he was physically unable to walk.

Landon underwent surgery to decompress his spine.  Tumors were on his spine and around a rib.  He was immediately sent to the United States and Walter Reed hospital.

Landon was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer (Ewing Sarcoma) ; a cancer most often found in pediatric patients.  Landon was 23.

Landon's first thought was to knock out the cancer and get back to his guys in Afghanistan.  Doctors told him this was not possible; chemotherapy lasted one year and radiation 3-4 months.  Landon was devastated.

Landon spent 14 months at Walter Reed hospital fighting the cancer.  He had no feeling from the chest down.

Landon thought he had beat cancer.  He was moved to a spinal rehab facility.  Several weeks later, the cancer came back like a ferocious beast.  Landon was in severe pain.

He decided to do chemotherapy again, but first there was a surgery to remove as much cancer as possible.

Radiation on his esophagus made it difficult to swallow.  Between the bone, nerve, and esophagus pain; plus the PTSD, Landon felt very vulnerable.

A new scan was done after the second line of chemotherapy.  The news was devastating, the tumor had grown.

Landon's last procedure was on his esophagus.  He desperately wanted to eat.  

Landon went into cardiac arrest.  He was surrounded by doctors.  Landon went into a coma.

He was put on a ventilator.  Landon was taken off a ventilator for a short period.  Janet could see the pain in his eyes and requested that the ventilator be reapplied.  

Following a command by Landon's first sargeant to "Stand Down Soldier," he passed away on December 7, 2013.

Janet became a gold star mother.  Her desire was to help other families enduring the same heartache.  

Janet works in Survivor Outreach through the Utah National Guard.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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