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  • PHOTO PROVIDED Brock Hart, 1, of Edmond, has been hospitalized since October fighting Acute Lymhoblastic Leukemia in addition to a serious fungal infection. Above, he's shown at Children's Hospital.

    Brock_Hart1A.jpg

  • PHOTO PROVIDED Brock Hart, 1, of Edmond, has been hospitalized since October fighting Acute Lymhoblastic Leukemia in addition to a serious fungal infection.

    Brock_Hart2.jpg

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February 12, 2010

A true sweet-Hart

Young family helps 1-year-old son battle leukemia

Vicky Bass Special to The Sun

EDMOND — Brock Hart is a 1-year-old who has captured the hearts of the nurses and doctors at Children’s Hospital and interested online friends and acquaintances across the world.

Brock was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia 18 days before his first birthday in October. This is an important fact, because this type of leukemia is much easier to treat if the child is older than 1 year. Brock also developed a serious fungal infection during the induction phase and has been in the hospital since his diagnosis.

Brock’s parents, Jason “Jay” and Vanessa Hart, and his almost 4-year-old sister, Jaycie, live in Edmond when they’re not sitting vigil in a hospital room or intensive care unit. In fact, the whole family hasn’t been able to stay in the house together since October because one of the parents is always with Brock.

“Brock had two shots that cost a thousand dollars each, but I’m not complaining, my son’s alive,” Jason said, his brown eyes bright and expressive. Jason is a videographer and editor, a job he learned in college, but mostly from his father, Jerry Hart, whose experience spans several decades.

There were moments when the family business, Hartland Productions, a video/film/recording studio in Oklahoma City, had to temporarily shut down at the prompting of doctors when Brock seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. The family rushed to the hospital to be there for whatever came next.

Jay and Vanessa credit the prayers, Brock’s strong will to live and the grace of God for their son’s progress to date. The Harts’ church, Quail Springs Baptist, hosted a prayer vigil for Brock one winter night in the holiday season. Church members watched on video as Brock slept and moved around while the congregation prayed for him.

“So many times after talking to the doctors we thought, well, we’ll cherish these last few days with him and then he would turn a miraculous corner,” Jay said.

Before Brock went into the hospital, he was a happy, sunny, brown-eyed baby boy.

In a Nov. 16 entry to CaringBridge.org (a service provided through donations for cancer patients to communicate with family and friends via the Internet), Vanessa wrote: “I know God wants us to pray to Him and He promises to hear our prayers and I’m so thankful for that. But I know he doesn’t answer prayers based on how many people are asking for the same thing. I’m begging God to answer the hundreds of prayers that are said on Brock’s behalf, but if He doesn’t, God will get the glory regardless because He has saved me and He is God and that’s all that matters. So I’m thankful that you are praying, not because all of us might ‘change God’s mind’ about what will ultimately happen with Brock, but because you’re spending time with the Father.”

As of this writing, Brock is still in the hospital and there have been 129,059 visits from family and friends on the CaringBridge Web page. Read more of his story at www.caringbridge.org/visit/brockhart.

A special account has been set up at Tinker Federal Credit Union. In addition some of the profits from “Brock’s Warriors, live by Faith, pray with Hart” T-shirts go to pay Brock’s medical bills. Order at CafePress.com. Jay said the family’s top request is for people to donate blood and platelets in Brock Hart’s name. The 1-year-old has received 25 blood transfusions and 40 platelet transfusions since October.

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