Emma M.
Ohio
Birth Date: February 14, 2017
Diagnosis: B-Cell ALL
Theme: Unicorns & Rainbows
(with primary colors)
Due Date: September 1, 2020
Emma's Story
Toward the end of March, Emma spiked a fever and was diagnosed with strep throat. In the following days, she slept a lot and wasn't eating much. We didn't think much of it since she was fighting off strep throat. Ten days after the ER visit, she spiked another fever. She was still sleeping more but when she was awake she was still her bubbly, funny self. She started complaining of her legs hurting and at times she walked a little gingerly. She was still running around, but she was unable to go down the stairs. We chalked it up to muscle soreness or general aches and pains from the fever.
That Thursday her fever got higher and she was complaining of her legs even more. She was walking very gingerly, not running or walking down stairs, and was very cranky. Emma has never taken oral medicine well, so we reserve that battle for when it is absolutely necessary. We reached that point. I sneaked some Tylenol into an orange soda and gave it to her. The fever came down and her legs seemed a little better. We again chalked it up to her fighting something off and her legs hurting from just general aches and pains from being sick.
The next few days ran together. Her fever stayed high with it spiking toward the end of every dose of Tylenol. She complained more of her legs hurting while sometimes refusing to walk. She slept a lot and was incredibly fussy. Sometimes she would wake up from sleeping and just cry. We would cuddle her, rub her back, and rock her until she calmed down. She wouldn't eat much and it was a chore to try to get Tylenol into her. But then she would have moments where she was herself, would eat some food, would laugh and smile.
At the recommendation of her pediatrician, we took her to the hospital for some blood work and x-rays on April 6th. Within hours, they said the word leukemia. Within two days she had a port installed and chemo started.
Today, April 18th, she is still in the hospital. Her white blood cell counts are too low to safely go home. We're hopeful that will change soon and we can take her home where she can be surrounded by familiar things.
"Emma's quilt arrived today! It is beautiful! She loves it! In true 3 year old fashion, it was a challenge to get a good picture, but here is one that really shows her joy. She has already deemed it her "unicorn blanket" and said it is "better" than all her other blankets. She took it with her for her nap. Please pass our appreciation to everyone that played a role. We are so grateful!
