‘A huge life-changing experience’: Michigan mom and son battling cancer together

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A mother and son from Fenton are battling cancer together.

It’s been more than a decade-long fight for Karen Scott and unfortunately, a mutated gene she passed on to her son led to his diagnosis.

“It’s one thing when you mess with me, but it’s another when you mess with my kids,” Scott said, speaking directly and angrily to cancer itself.

She was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma 13 years ago. As of February, it’s now a battle she shares with her son Drake.

She said he had called her at work worried about blood in his urine.

“What I thought was just a urinary tract infection turned into cancer,” Scott said. “It’s been a huge life-changing experience.”

Drake just celebrated his 16th birthday on May 6. His mom said he was admitted to the hospital on the same day.

He’s big into robotics and has been missing out lately. Drake was not able to attend the team’s robotics competition as their team won 1st place.

He’s now on his fourth chemotherapy treatment with two more to go.

“We are hoping and praying that we will be done with this stuff in July, and we can move forward and put this behind us and move on with our life,” Scott said.

Life has somewhat come to a standstill for Drake. He’s at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital battling an infection — the same hospital system Scott was originally treated in.

“Unfortunately, U of M told me that there was nothing more that they had left for me to do. They told me radiation wasn’t an option, so it was time for hospice. And to know me, I am going to die trying,” Scott said.

Scott recently began experimental treatment in Chicago and the mass on her liver has shrunk by an inch.

“Now I’ve had some good news, so now I need Drake to have some good news,” Scott said.

As they battle the unimaginable, their community has stepped up.

Friends and family held a fundraiser on Thursday, though friend Ginette Brendel says Scott has a hard time asking for help.

“I just want her to know I love her and we are all here for her and Drake. We just want to support her and give her a little bit of a leg up and let her know, we are not promised tomorrow, so I just want to help,” Brendel said.

Hope is what Scott searches for each and every day.

She was at a low point recently, missing her parents who’ve died, but Scott found exactly the sign she needed.

“It was a huge rainbow over Lake Michigan — that was my sign of hope. It was OK. My parents were telling me it’s going to be OK and God is taking care of us,” said Scott.

If you would like to help the Scott family during their journey, a GoFundMe page has been set for them.