Downers Grove Cancer Patient Makes Strides Approaching 4th Birthday

DOWNERS GROVE, IL – Cole Magnus has always loved Halloween and so it should come as no surprise that, like other kids his age, he is looking forward to trick-or-treating in just more than a week’s time.

But the fact is, Cole isn't like other kids. The Downers Grove boy who is approaching his fourth birthday in just more than a week was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 2 and has faced a steady set of challenges ever since.

But a year after his family asked for local residents to shower the young boy with cards for his birthday, Cole has experienced his share of good days in the 12 months since, although the daily existence of a boy living with childhood cancer still comes with plenty of obstacles.

Cole began preschool in late August and now enjoys moments of normalcy despite continuing to endure daily chemotherapy and a host of medications. And while Cole has days in which cancer gets the best of him, his parents are grateful for the days that are filled with being with friends at his school, YouTube videos — and these days, trips to the local Halloween Spirit store – where the youngster can enjoy the things like the terrifying animatronics that bring a smile to his face.

Cole plans to trick-or-treat this year dressed as a pumpkin, his mom, Brittany Magnus, told Patch on Friday. And a year after Cole endured a difficult fall filled with health challenges and being hospitalized for a number of special occasions, including Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, and his brother’s and mom’s birthdays, the fact that the more recent past has allowed some breathing room for his family has been a welcomed change.

Cole continues to respond well to the intense treatment protocol he goes through for his leukemia — a battery of medications and treatments that will continue through July 2024. In addition to the oral chemotherapy he receives each day, Cole still must go through spinal taps and still has a chemo port and now with cold and flu season in full swing, Cole faces the threat of illness at any time in addition to the cancer he already lives with.

But between starting school and trips to the beach and other places Cole has been able to travel with his family, the strides the young boy has made over the past year have been encouraging to his parents and older brother.

Brittany said that Cole’s first day of preschool proved to be emotional. While the first-day meeting with a teacher was expected, the tears that came in the midst of Cole’s first day were not.

“I saw him playing with the kids and toys and the smile on his face,” Brittany told Patch. “The tears just started coming down. I was embarrassed because I couldn’t even stop (crying) because it just hit me that this is just special.”

The everyday events that come along on Cole’s good days have gotten more numerous, but that doesn’t mean that Brittany and her husband, Brad, take them for granted, especially all that the family has endured for nearly two years now. There are days when Cole’s medical appointments or health may keep him home. But on the days when he can be a little boy who enjoys swinging outdoors or playing with his friends tend to bring plenty of smiles — not only for Cole but for his parents.

Just because, as Brittany says, they’re special.

“Every time we hit a holiday (or special occasion) and we get to be together as a family, it just feels huge and we feel so lucky that we’re not in the hospital because we know so many families that are,” Brittany said Friday.

Last year, after requesting that people send Cole a card for his birthday, the Magnus family experienced an overwhelming amount of support. They were shocked at the number of cards and birthday greetings that came to a post office box that they have kept open if people wish to send cards again for Cole’s upcoming fourth birthday on Nov. 1.

The cards helped to cut away at the amount of isolation that Cole and his family experienced due to the amount of time he spent in the hospital during a traumatic fall season. A year later, they are grateful for the progress he has made, but remains realistic about the challenges that still come with living with leukemia.

“I’m breathing a little easier, but I’m still kind of constantly terrified that the rug is going to be pulled from underneath us because, with childhood cancer, you just don’t know,” Brittany said. “There are a lot of kids that do well but that relapse, or they pass away. It’s just a really hard world to be part of.”

"But, she added," it's nice when you can have days when you just feel normal."