Welcome home, Wade

WEST BEND, Wis. — Last fall, Peter and Gina Muth received news no parent ever wants to hear: their son had cancer. Wade Muth was 18 months old when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia Oct. 21, 2024. AML is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood.

“I was shocked,” Peter said. “It was scary, but it was in God’s hands; it was out of our hands. All you can do is pray about it, and we had a lot of people praying for him.”

The Muths milk 200 cows and farm 700 acres at Cedar Lawn Farm near West Bend with Peter’s parents, Kathy and George.

Peter went back and forth between the farm and Children’s Wisconsin in Milwaukee to help as much as he could while Gina stayed with Wade, who spent 4.5 months in the hospital undergoing four rounds of chemotherapy treatments.

“We still had everything going on here too,” Peter said. “With dairy farming, you can’t turn it on and turn it off. It’s 24 hours a day.”

Peter went down two nights a week to the hospital to give Gina a break, so she could return home to their 4-year-old daughter, Josie.

“We have a great group of employees,” Peter said. 

“A lot of neighbors stepped up this past fall as well to get fieldwork done. They were all a phone call away if we needed an extra set of hands and were more than willing to help. The whole community came together for us.”

In between each round of treatments, Wade was able to come home for approximately one week.

“It was a long road, and the first month was very rough,” Gina said. “He was in the pediatric intensive care unit and was intubated for a week. He got a cold, and he had a feeding tube for a while until he pulled it out.”

Wade also received three different chemotherapy drugs in his spine.

“Leukemia can hang out in all parts of the body, and a big area that it hides in is the spine,” Peter said.

Cancer did not keep this toddler down, however. Peter said Wade was at that age where he wanted to explore everything and was always on the go.

“During the first round of treatments, Wade slowed down, but after that, he never slowed down,” Peter said. “He was very active.”

On March 4, Wade returned home cancer-free. Although his cancer is in remission, he has to go back for checkups once a month for the next year to ensure the cancer has not returned and every other month for the second year.

Cancer screening visits will become less frequent the longer Wade remains in remission. Doctor visits drop to every three months during the third year and every six months during the fourth. Following that, he would return yearly for 10 years. If the cancer were to come out of remission, a bone marrow transplant would be the next course of treatment.

Wade’s journey began last August, when his pediatrician noticed bruising on his chest, which Gina said can be a sign of cancer. A blood panel was run but did not reveal anything abnormal. By September, Gina noticed Wade looked paler, he was clingy, and he was waking up multiple times throughout the night. He had also exhibited signs of Bell’s palsy on one side of his face and had an ear infection that would not heal.

“Wade went more downhill after that,” Gina said. “He had a respiratory infection and colds that didn’t go away. His symptoms lingered on. When we thought he was finally getting better, a whole new dose of something else would start. It took three medications to finally clear his ear infection. He would also puke randomly and was very pale. He was not himself.”

At an urgent care visit in Mequon, the doctor noticed Wade had an enlarged spleen. Wade’s 18-month appointment was moved up, and another blood panel was run. This time, the results were troublesome.

The Muths were already on their way to Children’s Wisconsin to check on Wade’s Bell’s palsy when their pediatrician called, and they were instructed to go to the emergency room. Another panel was run, and Wade was admitted to the hospital that night.

“Prior to this, I had said to Peter, ‘What if Wade has cancer?’” Gina said.

Her fears were confirmed that October day as the family entered what would be an intense battle to save their son’s life. Wade was immediately given blood and platelets, and his color came back.

Wade’s leukemia was caused when chromosome 16 flip-flopped with another chromosome.

“What he has is very rare,” Peter said. “He has low-risk AML, and there are not many cases each year of this type of leukemia. AML is more prevalent in adults than children, but low-risk AML has a higher probability of being cured.”

Doctors told the Muths Wade’s age and sex were helpful factors in his recovery.

The Muths said during this time of distress they experienced kindness from many directions.

“The generosity from friends, family, and complete strangers was overwhelming,” Peter said. “It still is.”

The Muths said they are happy to be on the other side of this fight.

“We’re cautiously optimistic,” Peter said. “We’re really excited to be here, but it’s always in the back of your mind now — what if? Doctors told us if the cancer comes out of remission, more than likely it will be in the first year. After the first year, odds of it coming back drop greatly.”

The Muths’ neighbors are hosting a benefit for Wade March 29 starting at 1 p.m. at Fillmore Turner Hall in Fredonia. The event, which was spearheaded by the farm community, will feature a tractor ride, food, drinks, raffles, a silent auction, kids’ activities and live music.

The Muths said they have received tremendous love and support from their community.

“We’re really thankful for what they’re doing for us,” Peter said. “I’m on the Fillmore volunteer fire department, and my fire department family has done a lot too. The whole community has been amazing.”

Gina’s sisters and cousins also put on a benefit for the Muths in Gina’s hometown.

Wade is a busy toddler who enjoys playing with tractors and other farm toys. On April 4, he will celebrate his second birthday.

“We’re grateful we’re home and grateful for this outcome,” Peter said. “Wade is in a really good place now, and hopefully the cancer stays in remission. If it comes back, we know what we have to do. But the outlook is very promising.”