"I AM" so Grateful!!!!!!! :-)

Tae kwon do academy celebrates Joshua's determination to battle disease


By MITCHELL KLINE

Staff Writer

FRANKLIN - Joshua Stevens was set up.

The 15-year-old reluctantly agreed to shop for Christmas ornaments with his mother. It was a ploy to get him to a tae kwon do academy, where he would be honored for the determination and strength he's shown while fighting a deadly disease.

Joshua had been involved in tae kwon do for several years but quit when he began experiencing strange pains in his left leg. He was three belts away from earning a black belt, the martial arts equivalent to a high school diploma, when he found out he had bone cancer. Joshua's femur was replaced with cadaver bone in August 2005.

He'd made a solid recovery from the complicated surgery, but cancer crept back into his life. Doctors discovered a grapefruit-size tumor in the upper part of his left leg this summer. The cancer cells are attacking his muscles and soft tissue. It's left him weak and struggling to walk. Joshua uses a wheelchair and crutches to get around. His mother, Teresa Rose, said a scan of the tumor last week indicated it had gotten bigger. She said his leg will be amputated.

Leaving Big Lots at the Alexander Plaza shopping center in Franklin on Nov. 29, Joshua saw a tae kwon do academy just a few doors down. Teresa Rose, Joshua's mom, suggested they go in and check it out. It seemed like an unplanned visit, but shortly after entering the Franklin Taekwondo Academy, Joshua had a hunch something was going on.

"Everyone came over and introduced themselves and shook my hand," Joshua said. "I thought it was just what they did."

Joshua was wheeled to the front of the room. He realized he'd been "set up" when everyone was staring at him. Jack Smithson, who owns the center, presented Joshua with an honorary black belt. Smithson said Joshua earned it by fighting to stay alive and pulling double duty to help his brother Corey get a purple belt.

Smithson gave the boys lifetime memberships to the tae kwon do academy.

Family battles together

Both of the Stevens brothers have had battles with cancer. Eight months before Joshua was diagnosed, Corey, now 16, learned he had osteosarcoma in his left arm.

In 2004, Corey suffered from severe pains in his left arm after being hit by a basketball. The pain subsided but came back after receiving a friendly punch from a cousin. Scans and multiple tests confirmed Corey had bone cancer.

This form of cancer strikes about 450 pediatric patients each year. There are only a few cases listed in medical journals that involve multiple family members.

One of the first doctors Corey saw suggested his whole arm be amputated. Rose said that was "not an option." Corey underwent surgery to replace his cancer-filled humerus with bone from a cadaver in April 2005. Portions of his lungs were also removed after cancerous spots were discovered.

Corey and Joshua had taken tae kwon do for years and were close to earning purple belts when Corey had to quit. Joshua was allowed to stand in for his brother during tests for the belt. He had to do everything twice, including breaking boards with his feet. He left with two purple belts, one for him and one for his brother.

The Stevenses moved from Baltimore to Spring Hill in the spring of 2005. Doctors at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt have treated both boys.

Corey said he's "kind of back to normal" now. He's not supposed to lift more than 20 pounds with his left arm, but he plans to start taking tae kwon do again. Both boys said they've missed playing sports. Joshua, who is 6-foot-4 and weighs 124 pounds, said he wants to play basketball or "just go for a run."

Joshua has trouble finding a comfortable sleeping position. He said he can't sleep on his stomach or his left side. He takes pain medication, but it doesn't provide total relief. Unable to climb stairs to reach his bedroom, Joshua has been sleeping on a recliner in the living room or a pullout bed in his mother's room.

Joshua said dealing with his diagnoses was somewhat easier than it might have been if his older brother had not gone through a similar ordeal.

"I guess I was the test dummy," Corey said.

Rose said she had already researched the disease and found a variety of methods for treating pain when Joshua was diagnosed.

The disease has brought them closer, but the boys don't think they are much alike.

"He's antisocial, and he thinks I act like a 7-year-old," Joshua said. "He mostly stays upstairs and plays on the computer."

Mom is at peace

Rose has put her life on hold to educate, nurture and care for her boys. She's recently gone through a divorce, amassed $15,000 worth of credit card debt and struggled with a reoccurrence of breast cancer. Last week she made the decision to have Joshua's leg amputated.

Where others might give up, she has a sense of peace with the circumstances she's dealing with. She lives by the slogan "I am at peace with destiny."

She home-schools both boys but takes breaks during the day to work as an associate of a company that helps people who have been victims of identity theft.

"Their dad gets them Friday and every other weekend," Rose said. "I take care of them all the other times. Anytime I can get free time, I make sure they are doing schoolwork and then I can work on the business or relax a little bit."

Rose, 43, was diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago. She had a bilateral mastectomy.

Having cancer made Rose think about possible causes of the disease. She believes stress and improper nutrition can be a factor. She and her sons have turned to holistic remedies. They are on a special diet. Joshua takes a barrage of supplements and vitamins. A chart in the kitchen lists what days and times he should take certain items.

Much of the debt Rose has incurred comes from medical-related costs and trips to Maryland, where Joshua goes for treatment.

"If it weren't for the credit cards, which are close to getting maxed out, and God, I wouldn't be able to do it," she said.

Rose canceled a trip she'd planned with the boys to Baltimore this week. She said Joshua just isn't up for traveling. On Friday, Rose called a surgeon to schedule a date for amputation.

"We will still pursue the treatments we've been doing. They are working; we just started them a little late," Rose said. "I'm doing this to save his life now. We wanted to save the limb if possible, but his life has always been first priority."

Rose said doctors tell her Joshua has a 20 percent chance of surviving with chemotherapy. Cancerous cells in his lungs have also gotten bigger. She's hoping for a miracle. She ends nearly every meeting with a saying: "God bless you for a miracle day."

Contact Mitchell Kline at 771-5417 or mkline@tennessean.com.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

To donate to the Joshua Stevens fund, go to any Regions Bank branch or call 794-8899. For information about the Stevens brothers, go to www.makingpeacewithdestiny.com. Donations can be made at this Web site.

Beyond cash donations, Rose has requested gift certificates to Plumgood Foods or Wild Oats, gas cards, a California king-size bed for Joshua and a recliner for him.

In God We Trust! Christopher Corey, Teresa & Joshua - Dec 2007

Caption:Teresa Rose and her sons Corey Stevens, 16, and Joshua Stevens, 15, in their Spring Hill home on Thursday. The boys have both had battles with cancer and have been home-schooled since third grade. Joshua recently had his femur removed and replaced and now has a tumor in his leg.
JEANNE REASONOVER / THE TENNESSEAN