Cornell was born Aug 21, 1990 in Niceville, FL @ Eglin AFB. From the beginning he showed signs of extraordinary intelligence and charisma. He was happy and energetic yet obedient and loving. As the first few years went by he did all the things you would expect of an infant/toddler. We experienced all the joys proud parents hold dear; his first steps, words, and incidental observations that just make you stop where you are and laugh out loud, or realize that what you just said really sounded silly. He was indeed a bundle of joy. I remember one day when he was 4 years old at my office building. He rushed to open and hold the door for some people and not one of them said thank you. So he said, “thank you very much, you’re welcomed!” You should have seen the look of embarrassment on their faces. This was about a year before he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma cancer.
Neuroblastoma cancer is a rare form of cancer that usually reveals itself in children between the ages of 2-5. Its origin is unknown. Medical professionals are pretty sure it’s not hereditary. There are many unconfirmed speculations. I just know it’s a horrible and sneaky disease. It started in his adrenalin glands and moved rapidly into the bone marrow of his legs causing him pain. Sadly, he wasn’t even old enough to realize that the pain he was experiencing was abnormal. He just kept on going, even when it took everything in him to walk across the room. The doctors were baffled. Logically, they focused on what was apparent. Cancer in a child is rare and not the first thing you would suspect for his afflictions. Finally, after many visits to the hospital, a bone scan revealed tumors in his body. By this time the cancer had metastasized, (spread by growth of new cancer cells), into other areas of his body including the bone marrow in his legs. This made it very difficult for him to endure the pain and loss of mobility. You’ve got to understand, he was one of those kids who ran EVERYWHERE he went. The trip to the car to go anywhere was a race, the trip to the door of the place you were going to was a race, the trip back to the car and then back to the house were all races of which he hated to lose. Of course I let him win sometimes.
The doctors were wonderful yet very bleak in their prognosis. They said he had a 30% chance of living beyond 5-6 months. They aggressively treated his case with everything they knew, AND we treated it with everything we knew—prayer! I remember there were prayers going up nationally on his behalf. It wasn’t too long before he was well enough to come home. However, he was still under extensive care. One of the hardest things to do was getting his white blood cell count up. It meant a daily shot, which we had to give him. Can you imagine giving your own little 4-year old child or nephew/niece a shot everyday? It was as heart wrenching as you imagine it is. One day while I was restraining him so his mother could give him the shot, through tears he screamed “Daddy I promise I won’t do it again”. I had to stop. I could feel my heart move up into my throat as I tried to explain to him he didn’t do anything wrong. It brought me to tears.
After a few months of this and weekly hospital visits we got the news that his cancer was in remission. You can imagine the excitement. Little did we know it would return a year later, even after his bone marrow transplant. During this time Cornell was enrolled in home school and was able to attend the 2nd grade the next year. He always looked forward to tomorrow. To see how he took on the challenges of his illness was a powerful lesson for all of us. It made you put things into perspective; the things I used to complain about, I quickly realized were not as serious as they could have been. The things I valued quickly became re-prioritized. What I felt was so urgent all of a sudden could wait.
Over the next 5 years, Cornell would go in and out of remission 3-4 more times, each time hit him harder. Even while going through all of this, he played soccer and other sports, was a member on a bowling team, and maintained relationships with friends. To see him interact with his peers was always interesting to say the least. For some reason they would always want to be around him. He went through the Barney, Power Ranger, Sega, Nintendo 64, Sony Play Station, and Poke’mon phases. In fact, he was very skillful with the video games. Sometimes I got lucky and beat him at a couple of them. Of course that made him more determined to annihilate me the next time we played…and he did!
Throughout this whole ordeal his mother was unwavering in her care and concern for him. She provided strength, love, understanding, patience, friendship, guidance, hope, and prayer all the way through. Cornell was baptized when he was 8 years old. He understood what it was all about. Some people do more to advance the purpose of life in 10 years than some do in 90 years!
During Cornell’s short life he inspired the following awards and foundations:
A foundation in his honor has been set up at All Children’s Hospital in St Petersburg, FL.*If you’d like to, you can make a monetary donation to cancer research in the honor of Steven Cornell Adams Jr at www.allkids.org. 100% of the donations will go to cancer research through the All Children’s Hospital in St Petersburg, FL. You may donate by credit card or mail a check to “All Children’s Hospital Foundation” P.O. Box 3142, St Petersburg, FL. 33673-3142. You will receive a confirmation notice a few days later. You must make sure you tell them “Care of the Steven Cornell Adams Jr Memorial Fund”.
A huge donation to Cancer Research and Treatment at Texas Children’s Hospital!
- The annual Buffalo Soldier’s Bravery Award
- Tampa Firefighter’s Courage Award
- An Optimist Club Award (support group for cancer survivors and their families)
Anyone who knew him always had positive comments to say about him. Moreover, they seemed to walk away feeling more enlightened and inspired after being in his company.
So, I say in the spirit of Cornell, always tell the one’s you love that you love them. Cherish the precious moments you have and remember to say “thank you” when someone shows you kindness!