Norman high schooler diagnosed with leukemia, hoping for community support

A Norman High School sophomore received a terrifying diagnosis last month and is now seeking support from the community, his family told News 9 on Thursday. 

Adam Ramsey is a unique kid, mature for his age, and creative in every sense of the word. His leukemia diagnosis lit a fire of determination in him and a desire to connect with others who may be going through something similar. 

Adam, who is 14 years old, felt unwell for months, but his sickness peaked on May 8. Adam’s grandmother took him to the hospital. 

"She was just saying, ’they're saying something about his white blood cell count [being] really high and his platelets are nonexistent,’ and I just immediately knew. I didn't want to know, but I knew what that meant,” said Alisha Godfrey, Adam’s mom. 

Within a few minutes, the doctor called Alisha and told her that he was going to transfer Adam to the Children’s Hospital and that it was a form of leukemia, but they did not know much more. 

“It felt like a nightmare,” Alisha recalled. 

After running more tests, doctors diagnosed Adam with acute lymphatic leukemia. 

"I think I handled it pretty well. I think for the most part I was able to understand and get through it and it wasn't that bad, but a lot of it was side effects of medication that really got me down—especially steroids,” Adam told News 9. 

He said his muscles get so tired now that he sometimes has to use a wheelchair. 

Before the diagnosis, Adam was a typical 14-year-old boy who loved to wear his hair long, skateboard and cook. 

“I feel like this whole process in some weird, messed up way has brought us closer together because he was a normal teenage boy that didn't want anything to do with mommy, and then now, we're close again and I get to cuddle him again,” Alisha said tearfully. 

The two shared that it is their family carrying them through this difficult time. 

“I didn’t know there were so many people here who cared,” Adam confessed. 

Adam is expected to be in treatment for the next two to three years, making him around 16 years old before he may be able to get back to some of his favorite hobbies, like skateboarding and going to concerts, his mom shared. 

If you’d like to help the family cover the cost of medical expenses, click here.