Jordan's Journey: Young Patient Working to Conquer Cancer

Jordan was just 12 when he got a fever that just wouldn’t go away.

At first, his pediatricians thought it was viral, and they told him to come back if the fever didn’t go away in a few days. 

With his fever not subsiding, he returned to his doctor's office for blood work. Only two hours later Jordan's mother, Christina DeLorenzo, received a heart-wrenching call: Jordan was about to be taken to the hematology/oncology unit at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.

“I could feel my heart sink,” Christina DeLorenzo said. “He was showing markers in his blood of having three different leukemias.”

The Diagnosis

After two weeks of testing, Jordan was officially diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). T-ALL is a specific type of fast-growing leukemia in which the bone marrow and blood contain too many immature white blood cells. 

Jordan’s first month of treatment went according to plan, but the situation soon took a turn. He was admitted to Golisano for a fever and low cell counts in June after he suffered a bad reaction to his chemotherapy treatment. Jordan was in a comatose state for almost a week. 

“It was one of the scariest moments of my life,” Christina said.

Jordan got better, though, and was back on the road to recovery until Nov. 21, 2018. His fever spiked again, and he returned to Golisano. Another chemo reaction spurred another comatose state, this one lasting significantly longer.

Jordan’s family spent Thanksgiving at Golisano by his side and even celebrated his 13th birthday during this time. 

Looking Ahead

Despite all the challenges, Jordan continues to fight, recover, and look forward to a healthier future.

He and his family celebrated reaching the maintenance cycle in his treatment in February 2019. Although there were some minor setbacks along the way including hospital stays, blood/platelet transfusions and chemo holds, Jordan and his family continue to stay positive.

The DeLorenzos express their amazement at how the oncologists and other staff members have made such a positive impact on Jordan’s journey—from explaining the treatments in a comforting way to effortlessly answering questions to simply being there.

“I couldn't have asked for a better hospital, doctors, nurses, child life and staff to help my baby fight the ultimate fight,” Christina said. “Dr. (Kelly) Sawczyn, his oncologist, and the nurses have been amazing. We love them all. I love the relationship that they make with all the kids!”

Jordan is now 14 and looking forward to the end of his chemo on Aug. 2, 2021.

From everyone at Golisano Children’s Hospital and all of Lee Health, we want to tell Jordan and his family that we are with you. And we can’t wait to watch you ring the bell to declare yourself cancer free! We are #TeamSuperJ!

You can follow along Jordan’s journey @Team Super J on Facebook.