Kendall K.
Minnesota
Birth Date - March 21, 2014
Diagnosis - B-Cell Leukemia
Theme: Unicorns & Rainbows
Due Date: September 1, 2019
Kendall's Story
Kendall's 5th birthday was March 21st. It was right around that time she started not acting like the spunky, lively girl we all know. She was napping daily, not eating as much as she usually would, and complaining of random aches and pains. Despite all of that, I wasn't too concerned. She still seemed like a pretty healthy kiddo, and her 5-year well visit was scheduled for the morning of March 29th. During that appointment, I expressed my concerns to the doctor. He did all of the normal well-child visit things, and everything seemed to be going well until he felt her belly. He could feel her liver was enlarged. Kendall was sent for lab work, and they said we would receive a call with the results.
The doctor called with the news that all of Kendall's numbers were very low and that she needed to go to Childrens Hospital right away. In the emergency room there, they did all sorts of other testing. A few hours after arriving, we received news that no parent should ever have to hear ... Kendall has leukemia. She was admitted to the hospital for the first few rounds of chemo and the start of steroids. We were able to go home after a week.
We're all still learning to live with our "new normal". After nearly 2 weeks at home, Kendall is back in the hospital for severe constipation, dehydration, and to receive blood transfusions. We hope to be discharged soon and to continue the rest of our induction month with the aggressive chemo and steroids. We'll know more of what the future months look like after we get the results from the bone marrow and spinal tap on March 31st.
UPDATE LATE APRIL: To say this week has been rough would be a HUGE understatement. We're nearing the end of the induction phase, and she'll take her last dose of steroids for this phase tomorrow night (4/28). Besides the already horrid side effects of chemotherapy, she's been on steroids this whole month. It's hard for her to walk, she's very irritable, 99% of the time she has a tummy ache, her hair is falling out, and we haven't heard her laugh in far
too long.
On Friday, May 3rd we'll find out the results from tests done on the April 29th. That will tell us more of what the next few months of treatment look like.
"Kendall was so excited to open her package. Boy, was she surprised by the most amazing quilt! Thank you so much. It is beautiful and huge. She'll be using it for years. Cannot thank you enough."
