Published: December 18, 2008 10:28 am      

Family, community fight for Dakota's recovery

Dakota Lamkin has faced some challenges in his life.

The Era ISD second grader who loves to study dinosaurs and play video games was diagnosed with acute lympoblastic leukemia in the fall of 2005.

Treatment followed and the family was confident the cancer was gone.

“We thought we had it beat,” said Dakota’s aunt Kelli Lamkin, bereavement coordinator at Home Hospice of Cooke County. “Then it came back.”

Lamkin said her nephew is her hero.

“He’s a remarkable kid. He’s been going through this for three years. This time, when it came back, he said, ‘You’re telling me my cancer is back? I’ve already done this once,” Lamkin recalled. “I told him we’re just going to fight harder this time.”

Fighting harder is something the Lamkins have learned to do during Dakota’s illness.

Kelli Lamkin said Dakota is at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.

While he receives treatment and awaits a bone marrow transplant, residents back home are blanketing Dakota with prayers. Others are working on fundraising efforts to assist his family.

A group of volunteers plan to sell Sonic Community First Value Cards. The cards have a face value of $20 and can be purchased for $5.

To purchase the cards contact Rhonda Beam at 902-1948, Barbara Hoover at 668-7384 or Daloris Burkhart at (903) 816-1262.

Love funds for Dakota are set up at Muenster Banks and at the Muenster State Bank, Gainesville branch, she noted.

Lamkin also said a fundraiser is set for Jan. 25 and blood drives are planned.

“If someone gives blood during another blood drive, they can request that the blood be given in Dakota’s name,” Lamkin said. “Dakota has needed a lot of blood products and we want to give that blood back.”

Dakota’s family, including Kelli, also ask for prayers.

“I just ask for prayers for Dakota. I know there are a lot of prayer warriors out there,” she said.

Dakota attends Era Elementary School and enjoys his classes, playing video games and going to movies.

“He loves school and misses his friends immensely. He got to talk to them on the phone recently and he was thrilled,” he said.

Coming home is a high priority for Dakota, Lamkin said. But doctors are not certain when he’ll leave the hospital.

“We don’t know when he can come home. They have prepared us for the possibility of having him in the hospital on Christmas,” she said.

Dakota’s parents are Carol and Eddie. He has two sisters, Madison and Lynsey. His mother is with him in the hospital now, Lamkin said.

Lamkin, who counsels grieving hospice clients and their families, has seen more than her share of tradegy but the devastating illness of her beloved nephew is hard to accept.

“When he (Dakota) found out the cancer had come back, I was crying and he was patting me and consoling me when I should’ve been consoling him,” she said. “He’s just an awesome kid and he doesn’t deserve this. In the hospital, I was with him and I just crawled up in bed with him. I told him, “You’re going to get better and we’re going to go home. I just don’t know when. Sometimes, you run out of words, and the future is so uncertain.”

Misty Serna at Metro Centre Xerox 940-665-9722 Ex. 154.

For updates on Dakota go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/dakotalamkin.