'Sweetest' Boy, 2, Battles Leukemia In Downers Grove

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Like most 2-year-old boys, Cole Magnus adores singing, dancing and dinosaurs. Cole is also a sucker for all things Halloween; if it's spooky, Cole loves it. But most of all, Cole loves singing and dancing on the trampoline, giggling himself dizzy with his 5-year-old brother, Hudson. These moments are rare lately, since Cole was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on April 6.

Patch interviewed Cole's mother, Brittany Magnus on April 13, just a week after the Downers Grove toddler's diagnosis.

Brittany told Patch the normally playful Cole was also "super-talkative" before starting chemotherapy. Now, he prefers to lie on Brittany's lap quietly.

“I wasn’t expecting him to be a different kid already [this quickly]," Brittany said.

For Brittany, her husband Brad, and Hudson and Cole, whom Brittany describes as "the sweetest baby," the entire world seemed to change in the blink of an eye.

Cole's Leukemia Diagnosis

One day in February, Brittany noticed Cole had swollen lymph nodes, something she felt was unusual, as Cole rarely got sick. After a quick virtual visit with a doctor, Cole was prescribed amoxicillin. Brittany and Brad were told swollen lymph nodes are common in children and the issue should resolve itself in a couple of weeks.

After the antibiotic treatment was completed, Cole's lymph nodes remained swollen, so Brittany took him back in to a pediatrician and insisted on further testing. The 2-year-old underwent bloodwork, an ultrasound and a chest x-ray, but everything came back normal.

Brittany told Patch the doctor diagnosed Cole with a "reactive lymph node" and sent him home with another prescription for antibiotics.

When Cole's lymph nodes remained swollen, his parents requested a CT scan, which revealed clusters of swollen lymph nodes. This led to Cole being referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT).

The ENT specialist prescribed Cole steroids and another round of antibiotics, but scheduled a biopsy for April 5 at Brittany and Brad's urging.

Brittany told Patch that during their two months of doctor's visits, physicians had insisted it was unlikely Cole had cancer. "In my gut I knew… that it was something," Brittany told Patch.

Just hours after Cole's biopsy at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, the Magnus family got the phone call every parent dreads. The person on the other line said, "Your son has cancer, and it is either lymphoma or leukemia" and instructed the family to come back to the hospital.

Brittany told Patch they went from getting Cole and Hudson ready for bed to packing a bag to immediately head back to Lurie.

“It was just like a shock. I feel like I went into shock. It's all so blurry," Brittany said. "I packed nothing for Cole; I was just in a state of panic...just terrified.”

Early April 6, doctors at Lurie Children's Hospital confirmed Cole had leukemia.

Two days later, Cole had a port inserted and received his first dose of spinal chemotherapy.

What's Next for Cole

Within the whirlwind that has been the past two months, life has been upended for the Magnus family. Both Brittany and Brad work from home, but Brittany told Patch she's not sure if she'll be able to continue to work, with Cole's weekly chemotherapy treatments in Chicago and the daily care he requires.

Cole is still breastfeeding, Brittany told Patch, explaining that nursing is his form of comfort. That source of comfort will cease once Cole starts oral chemotherapy because the chemicals can be toxic to Brittany. She explained that the chemotherapy is so toxic that she and Brad will have to wear protective gloves when changing Cole's diapers.

In the meantime, Brittany and Brad are trying to keep life as happy and normal as possible for both Cole and Hudson. “I’m trying to stay positive and do one day at a time, but it’s just terrifying," Brittany said.

She told Patch Hudson is sad Cole won't play with him, but he's attentive and helpful to his little brother and has been feeding him yogurt, wiping his face and caring for him.

“[Hudson's] really tender-hearted, so I know that he’s worried, but I’m trying to find support for him,” Brittany said.

She added, “You work so hard to give your children a normal life and a happy home and then something like this happens."

How You Can Help Cole and His Family

In the midst of Cole's whirlwind diagnosis, the Magnus family hasn't stopped to even begin to process the financial impact of his illness. “I don’t know how much it’s going to cost," Brittany told Patch.

She added that thinking about the financial aspect of the treatment Cole needs to survive is "like a punishment on top of this terrible thing...just to think about how you're going to do it all.”

Brittany's relatives have launched a GoFundMe page for Cole to help offset the costs of treatment, and travel and the uncertainty surrounding the future of Brittany's job.

As of April 16, the GoFundMe has raised just over $25,000 of its $100,000 goal.

Brittany told Patch the family is grateful for everyone who has reached out to help. “Everybody has a grandson or son or someone that is Cole's age," she said, and can imagine what it's like to be in the Magnus family's shoes.

As for Brittany and Brad, they're doing their best to hold it together. "There’s no choice. You have to just keep going," she said.

“I’m scared. Is it going to work?" Brittany said. “If it doesn’t work… I don’t know.”

Click the link to donate to Cole's GoFundMe. Patch is a GoFundMe promotional partner.

How Cole is Coping

Brittany said the constant tests and treatments have put Cole on edge. “He’s just scared now. Scared of everyone that would walk into the room," she said.

Nonetheless, the family is doing their best to keep things as close to normal as possible.

In an April 14 update on Cole's GoFundMe page, Brittany wrote that Cole has been longing to go outside, but the cool weather has made that difficult. Cole did get to have a picnic on the trampoline with Hudson, Brittany added.

Also, Brad installed a swing in the basement for Cole. They're hesitant to use the swing, for fear it will increase Cole's nausea, but it's waiting there. Waiting for a future when things are more normal.

Brittany told Patch, "This is just part of Cole's story and I don’t know what he’ll do with it one day."