Meet ASK kid Micah

by Melanie Goodpasture

Every Tuesday and Thursday, four-year-old Micah Scales can be found at First STEP (Socialization Through Enriched Play) Preschool, a unique preschool held in partnership with First Baptist Preschool. The program is dedicated to serving pediatric oncology patients and their siblings.  Like other children in his class, Micah is learning the alphabet and singing nursery rhyme songs.  And like other children in his class, Micah is a childhood cancer survivor.

Micah was diagnosed with a Wilms Tumor in his right kidney when he was eight months old. “We noticed a nodule on his left side when he was born, but two different pediatricians told us there was no need for worry,” explains  Micah’s mom, Sherrelle.  The nodule continued to grow and Sherrelle’s worst fears were confirmed.  Micah was diagnosed and initially treated at the University of North Carolina Medical Center, where his right kidney was removed and he received both radiation and chemotherapy. He was transferred to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond when his family relocated to the Richmond area.

ASK kid Micah enjoys playtime at First STEP Preschool (November 2018)

“We are young parents and had no support system while in North Carolina,” continues Sherrelle.  “Our families are in Richmond, so when my husband, Micah Sr., left the military, we moved here to be near them and the pediatric oncology program at CHoR.  Then we met the folks of the ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation and our lives changed forever.”
 
ASK support began as soon as Micah entered the ASK Hematology/Oncology clinic.  Sherrelle and Micah Sr. immediately started attending ASK events. They family even moved closer to the First S.T.E.P. Preschool at First Baptist Church so Micah would not have to miss a class. 

​“ASK is family to us, and has supported us in ways we didn’t even know possible,” says Sherrelle.  

Micah is in remission and continues to receive periodic CT scans to monitor his progress.  Although he is terrified of needles, the ASK Clinic provides a place for Micah to relax and participate in therapeutic play with a child life specialist while waiting to be seen by the medical team.  When not in clinic, Micah enjoys playing outside, reading, watching cartoons, swimming and visiting his grandparents.

Micah and his mom, Sherrelle, at the Kourageous Kids party (September 2018)

First S.T.E.P. Preschool is a unique preschool program for pediatric hematology/oncology patients, and their siblings.  Staffed with a teacher and medical professionals familiar with pediatric oncology, First STEP is one of only two similar programs in the country. First STEP is fully funded by generous donations to the ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Learn more about ASK First STEP Preschool