then

now

 

 

This is Donnie Meshell story

updated Feb. 20007

He named after both of his grandfathers. Donald - Wilson. We call him Donnie. Donnie was born on Feb. 11,1998. Donnie has 1 sister. She & her family lives in  Humble, Texas. She's 18 years older then him.

Donnie dad ( Joe ) drives a log truck so Donnie gets outside and play with his own trucks and loader, and loads them  with sticks.

Donnie has two dreams. One is to be a cowboy and ride in the P .B. R. Donnie never miss a show. For the last  three years we took him to the P. B. R. In 2003 Donnie got to go back stage to meet some of the riders. Then in 2004 and 2005  we stayed after the show and took pictures with a lot of them. Christmas 2003 all Donnie asked Santa for was a bull. Sorry , he didn’t get it. This year he’s asking for a calf. 

 The money that Donnie was given for his 7th. birthday he got his fence and a goat.

The other dream is to be a country singer. He has meet a few at St. Jude and gone to see a few in concert. Tracy Byrd ( 2x ) , Hall & Oates, Restless Heart, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney , Blake Shelton , Alabama and Buddy Jewell. 

We went to a St. Jude benefit Sep. 5,2004 in Erwinville La. and Donnie got on stage and song “ When The Sun Goes Down“. He did a great job.

La. State Troopers granted Donnie a wish” to spen a day with Chris Shivers at his ranch. Sep. 21, 04 Donnie was off for a day out of this world. A Day with Chris Shiver ( a P. B. R. guy ).This was a day that no one will forget about.

Donnie can be so sick but you will never see him without his smile. Once you meet Donnie he will always call you his friend.

Hunt Of A Lifetime out of Harborcreek , Pa. and Crow & Leah Carrico of Beaumont, Texas sent Donnie on a white - tail deer hunt in Center ,Texas Dec. 10, 2004. He had luck to get a 8 and 9 point deer.

For Donnie’s 7th birthday three of the La. State Trooper gave him a  shopping card to the  Bass Pro Shop in Bossier City. Bass Pro then matched the shopping card for Donnie to get ever thing to go on a fishing trip .

Donnie story was issue in the June/ July Pro Bull Rider Magazine.

June 11,05 Donnie was asked to go back to Bass Pro. Donnie was presented with hunting clothes, vest,cap and shade from some of the fishingmen and Bass Pro. Mr. Larry from Dream Maker Outdoor then presented Donnie a 3 day hunting trip, the first weekend of Jan. 06  to South Texas. The trip was change to the 2nd. week of Nov. at The Boar's Den in Archer City , Texas. His hunt will be filmed for national broadcast on Dream Maker Outdoor on The Outdoor Life ( OLN )and also on The Mens channel. Some time hunting season 2006.

    

When It All Started

Donnie was born with a tumor ( sacral teratoma ) on his spin but it wasn’t cancer which was removed when he was only four weeks old. Since then every six months the doctors perform test just to keep a eye on things. At nine months Donnie had to have surgery again on his spin and this time it wasn’t cancer. On Sep. 11,2001 ( of all days to remember ) Donnie had a appointment in Shreveport La. He was schedule for an M R I /Cat test and then to return in two weeks to see the doctors for a follow up examination. On Sep. 25 we returned to Shreveport. We signed in and they asked if we was ready to go to his room. WHAT ROOM ? That’s was when I ( Linda his mother ) was told the tumor had came back and Donnie was to have surgery the next day. Cancer had never entered our minds.

On Sep. 26 Donnie underwent surgery. The nurse told Joe and I that the surgery went well and the tumor was removed off his lower spin. I got on the phone to call everyone to tell them the good news.

It was about six hours later the surgery doctor came into the room with a different doctor. We was told he was a cancer doctor and he was setting up every thing for us to go to Memphis Tenn. To St. Jude the next day. Cancer, Germ Cell - Sacrococcygeal was the diagnosis. All I remember was dropping to the floor. NO WAY, not cancer.

We left the next day for St. Jude. The doctors there said Donnie was in stage IV so chemotherapy was to start the next day.

We moved into The Ronald McDonald House. You could not ask for a better place to call home and family.

There was 50 other family to help us get throw this.

Donnie had three types of chemo in four rounds. We got to come home on Jan. 2,2002 with a return trip scheduled for two weeks for test but Donnie wasn’t worried, he was coming home to see his dog Pettie. And other family that wasn’t able to go see him in Memphis. Donnie appointment would go from 2 weeks apart to 4, 6, 8, weeks to now 6 months. Donnie appointment Dec. 19,2003 would find tumors in his Thymic of his chest. Donnie was sent home to have Christmas till they called for us to return. The call came on Jan. 12 for us to be there for test on the 16. Surgery would be on the 17 to remove his Thymic. Test was done on  the tumors and NONE of them came back as cancer. Thank God.

Donnie returned on June 24, 2004 and got moved up to 6 months before he has to go back.

 Dec. 15, 2004 Donnie had blood work , M. R. I. and CAT test set up to do. The blood work came back cancer free but the M. R. I. came back showing another tumor on his spin.

We had test again before surgery and the tumor was unable to be found.

Donnie reeturned Sep. 2007 and the test still are cancer free so Donnie will not have to return for 1 year now.

Thanks goes out to all of you the help St. Jude. With out St. Jude and one above Donnie would not be with us.