Somewhere between the hospital and home, minutes before receiving the worst phone call of either of their lives, Nebraska assistant coach Chris Harriman turned to his wife Cheryl and joked about how nice it was to lead normal lives again.
It had been almost three years since their five-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, and the anxiety and stress that had engulfed the family was finally receding.
No longer was Avery receiving chemotherapy and radiation or going to the hospital two or three times a week. He had progressed enough by mid-October that Chris and Cheryl felt comfortable taking him on family trips to visit friends in Saint Louis and Florida.
Every doctor they spoke with during their appointment earlier that day was so optimistic about Avery's recovery that neither Chris nor Cheryl worried when a phone call from the hospital interrupted their conversation on the drive home. Only after Cheryl answered and heard a familiar voice on the other end did she begin to panic.
Continue Reading
