Holly Springs (Mississippi) native Ta’Ron Sims is trying to regain his strength and learn to walk after undergoing a bout with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. His physical therapist, Kristin Wiese, is working with him three days a week at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (Photos by Wiley Henry)

Ta’Ron Sims loves football. He was a quarterback in high school and a walk on player for the University of Southern Mississippi football team in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Then in his junior year he got sacked by a debilitating illness that knocked him off his feet — literally. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL, the illness he thought he had beaten long ago, made a comeback.

ALL, a disease that most often appears in childhood, is a cancer of the white blood cells. They multiply continuously and are overproduced in the bone marrow. It is fatal if left untreated.

After working out for nearly an hour, Ta’Ron rested.

Ta’Ron’s cancer is concentrated in his brain and spinal cord. He loss vision in one eye and regularly gets blood clots that weaken his entire body.

“I couldn’t walk. It (daily activities) was so much I couldn’t do,” said Ta’Ron, who was first diagnosed with ALL while he was in fourth grade. “When it came back, it was harder on me the second time.”

Friends back home in Holly Springs, Miss., and the friendships he forged in college are now maintained via telephone from room 508 in the Target House, a local facility for patients with catastrophic illnesses and their families.

Ta’Ron and his mother have been staying in the dormitory-style, home-away-from-home since December while he undergoes chemotherapy and physical therapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Each week the 22-year-old trudges through a grueling regimen: chemotherapy on Monday and physical therapy on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. He rests on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Ta’Ron’s parents, Bonitta and Marvin Sims, don’t have much time to rest either. A substitute teacher at Holly Springs Primary School, Bonitta has remained by her son’s side since he was admitted. Marvin, a forklift operator in Cayce, Miss., must continue to work so he can support the family.

“He’s the emotional one,” said Bonitta, 50. “He just can’t stand to see his son like this. And plus, he can’t be here every day and still work a job. So it’s hard on the whole family, including my daughter (who attends National College of Business & Technology in Bartlett).”
   
‘The toil it takes on the family, it’s hard’

When Ta’Ron had his annual check-up last year in June, “He was given a clean bill of health,” his mother said. “They told us he was fine. I don’t think they knew where to look.”

It wasn’t too long after Ta’Ron’s visit to the doctor’s office that he started experiencing unexplainable pain in his neck, back and legs. “It was the month of July and we started getting concerned,” his mother said.

Ta’Ron went back to school in September, not knowing what to think about his health. But the pain in his neck, back and legs was getting worse and he couldn’t make sense of it.

“He got to a point where he started having double vision and he couldn’t walk,” Bonitta said. “He didn’t let us know what was going on for a few weeks. So we took him to Baptist East to check on his headaches.”

Ta’Ron’s symptoms were still baffling and unexplainable. His sister took him to St. Jude for testing. Since his doctor wasn’t available, she took him back home.

In December, Ta’Ron returned to St. Jude where he was tested and diagnosed him with central nervous system (CNS) relapse. The dreaded ALL had returned, he said.

“They sent him to LeBonheur to get an Ommaya shunt put in his head so they can give him chemotherapy at St. Jude,” said Bonitta. “After one dose of radiation, doctors said he was cleared. There were so many leukemia cells they thought he had a tumor.”

During treatment, everything got infected, she said. “Now he seems to be doing well. He’s tough.”

For the moment, he uses a wheelchair or walker to get around – when he can move his legs. And he has little upper body strength to maneuver. “When I did play sports on the college level, I was good; I was the best. To get back to Division 1 college football would be a lot for me to do,” Ta’Ron said.

It’s painful for him to think he may never return to the gridiron. The disappointment shows on his face and through the tears he sheds while recounting his, and the family’s, recent struggles.

“The toil it takes on the family, it’s hard,” Ta’Ron said.

Ta’Ron’s mother is his constant companion. On Monday, she wept alongside him as he spoke of her.

“My mom was always there for me from Day 1,” he said. “She quit her job the first time (I was in the hospital). She was never negative and expected me to be positive.

“My sister is not a strong person. When she comes over … she is sweet as she wants to be,” he said. “My father would come over when he can. But he has to work. It’s just me and my mom.”

Ta’Ron said he has lost much – but not his family and friends. When some of his friends discovered he was in Memphis for treatment, they gathered with him at the Target House to watch their favorite pastime: football. Florida was playing Alabama in the December SEC championship game.

“I’m a Florida Gator fan,” said Ta’Ron, who also extols Brett Favre, an alumnus of The University of Southern Mississippi and successful quarterback for the Green Bay Packers (1992-2007) and New York Jets (2008).

When he talks about the game, joy overcomes pain.
   
‘I can survive’

If everything goes well during chemotherapy and physical therapy, Ta’Ron could go home by year’s end. The doctor said he has a year’s treatment’s ahead, his mother said.

When his health returns to some semblance of normalcy, Ta’Ron wants to complete his degree. “When I’m walking and everything is right, I’m going back to school. I’m ready to get back down there and kick it.”

In fact, his to do list is rather long. His paternal grandfather used to take him fishing and hunting, a sport he loves as much as football. “I do want to go hunting and fishing. That’s high on my list. I want to do that so bad,” he said.

“I love the outdoors. I can sit by a tree and fall asleep. It’s peaceful – the woods, the birds. I would love that. I tell my mom not to worry about me. I can survive.”

It feels good to be alive, Ta’Ron said. Despite his medical malady, he believes he has a new lease on life.

“My wish is just to have good health, to be able to live a normal life,” he said.

About Target House

Target House is made possible through the generosity of Target Stores and their commitment to their communities.

Target House I and II, designed for long-term patient stay, features fully-furnished, two-bedroom apartments. Each apartment is equipped with a full kitchen (including cookware, dinnerware, glassware, flatware, etc.), one queen and two twin beds, bath and bed linens, sofa, and an entertainment center.    

Target Houses, located at 1811 Poplar, also feature free laundry facilities, a library with selection of books and movies, playground, playrooms for teens and children, music room, workout facilities, arts and crafts room, and a large communal dining room and kitchen.

Families who need to be at St. Jude from 90 days to up to three years or more, whose children are undergoing life-saving treatment, can stay at Target House free of charge.