Originally published July 10, 2006. Second of four parts.

November 2005

The winter sun is beaming down on Cyndie French's chilled skin, and she tilts her face toward the sky.

Beneath her dark glasses, her blue eyes are droopy and tired. But her son Derek is having a good day, so what else really matters?

On the picnic table in front of her, a chocolate birthday cake she has fashioned to look like a mound of fresh dirt is crawling with gummy worms. Kids in blue jeans and sweat shirts tear at a bag of spicy Cheetos, dip spoons into vats of potato salad and fill paper plates with slices of congealing pizza.

In the middle of it all is her boy Derek, who has made it to his 11th year.

He dips into the icing of his cake and runs his gloppy index finger across his tongue. He looks over at his mom, a dimpled grin on his face.

Victory, Cyndie thinks.

"Not bad!" she says, hands on her hips, blonde hair tumbling from her straw hat.

Not bad for a 40-year-old single mother of five whose bank account is inching toward zero, and whose refrigerator contains a milk carton that is nearly empty.

Cyndie has three older boys, and she has no idea what she will put on the dinner table tonight. If not for a generous friend and a trip to the Dollar Store, she never would have been able to throw this party, which she is calling Derek's Life Celebration.

Her son's yearlong medical crisis has cost Cyndie almost everything, including time with her other sons and her daughter, Brieanna, who is almost 6 and now lives mainly with her father in Orangevale so that Cyndie can focus on Derek.

Derek has neuroblastoma, a rare childhood cancer that begins in the nerve cells and spreads to the rest of the body. The good news is that UC Davis doctors have harvested enough healthy stem cells from his bone marrow to perform a blood transplant that could save his life. The bad news is that the treatment is risky and comes with no guarantees. But at least it carries hope.

Right now, Derek's happiness is Cyndie's priority, and everything else in her life is secondary. Even her job running a nail and tanning salon. Even her love life. Even her other children.

"She brings home steak for Derek, and I'm like, 'Hey, what about the rest of us?'" jokes her son Vincent, who is 15, has two-toned hair and wants to be in a rock band.

Cyndie's son Micah, a philosophical boy of 16 who is Derek's closest buddy, has started to spend more time away from the house, at the local teen center. Her oldest son Anthony, bright and sharp-tongued at 18, is simmering with anger about his mom's lagging attention and the family's precarious financial situation.

But at the moment Brieanna, at least, is happy. She is dashing toward her mother, silky blonde pigtails bouncing at the sides of her head. It has been five days since they have seen each other, and it shows.

"Hiiiiiiii, Mom!" Brieanna shouts in her small voice, as Cyndie opens her arms wide.

"How have you been, beautiful girl?" Cyndie trills, sweeping Brieanna up in a hug.

It's not easy being Cyndie French these days. Her head is crammed with details, spinning with places she needs to go and things she needs to do. One slip-up, and everything falls apart.

On a dreary morning in the middle of December, Cyndie is trying to figure out a strategy to get Derek from their home in West Sacramento to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for the first of two radiation treatments. They cannot miss another appointment, she promises herself.

The doctors already are unhappy that Derek, who will do just about anything to sabotage a trip to UC Davis, has skipped some clinic and doctor visits. Once, prior to a test that could be done only if he had an empty stomach, he deliberately scarfed a bagel. A couple of times, before Cyndie started noting their schedule on calendars she carries in her purse and car and posts in her kitchen, she simply got confused about the dates and times of appointments, which sometimes number three a day.

To comment on this story e-mail journey@sacbee.com or phone (916)326-5596. The Bee's Renee C. Byer can be reached at (916)321-5279 or rbyer@sacbee.com. The Bee's Cynthia Hubert can be reached at (916)321-1082 or chubert@sacbee.com.