Meet Soraia – Leukemia
Hope session by Andreia Barbosa | Facebook | Instagram
Meet Zeke – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Zeke is sweet and spicy. He’s loving and cuddly but also lets you know when he’s annoyed! He has a brother who is 13 months older and they are best friends.
Zeke was diagnosed on June 25, 2020. He was bruising heavily on his forehead and forming petechiae on his legs. He had been abnormally fussy the 3 months leading up to diagnosis.
He has had lots of oral chemotherapy, iv chemotherapy, chemo shots, and intrathecal chemotherapies. He has had 3 bone marrow aspirations as well.
We struggle in the sense that we cannot do many normal things. We isolate him the majority of the time due to his suppressed immune system. We isolate and stay home most of the time. We also have PTSD and anxiety.
Hope session by Meg Loeks Photography | Facebook | Instagram
Meet Veronica – B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
In early 20200, Veronica was vomiting with a considerable loss of appetite. She was tired all the time and she had really high fevers. She complained of bone pain, would get dizzy, and fell down a lot. Then we learned she had cancer.
She has had an X-ray, an MRI, an EKG, a port placed for chemo and blood draws, multiple lumbar procedures and tests of cerebrospinal fluid, a few lengthy hospital stays, and pneumonia. She had a stroke so she has some loss of strength, but she’s gaining it back. She can’t go to school or be around a lot of people.
Her dad and I haven’t been able to go to work since her diagnosis. Before her diagnosis, we were much more active. We like to hike and go to the gym. She was in dance class and about to start gymnastics. She loves to climb and we also went to the uptown jungle all the time.
Veronica is the sweetest little girl! She is so friendly to everyone and she is silly and funny. She is a great daughter, sister, and friend. She’s just amazing and everyone that meets her falls in love with her.
Hope session by Maren Elizabeth Photography | Facebook | Instagram
Meet Joshua – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Joshua was a very happy 6-year-old, He graduated kindergarten in May of 2019, singing and dancing to awesome zoo songs! He did quite a performance and we were so proud of him.
After school ended, he started to look different. He was getting tired more than usual, complaining about leg pains, and his skin looked very pale.
The day we took him to his pediatrician is the day we will never forget! He got poked in his finger and when the doctor came in the room she looked kind of worried, and said he was very anemic. So she sent us to Arkansas Children’s Northwest right away to get a blood exam. I can say he was very brave by letting the nurses stick the needle in his vein to get the blood. After that they let us go home.
We went to eat and on our way back home I received a call from the hospital saying that we needed to bring Joshua back as soon as we could. We then rushed back and after getting him into a room, the APRN brought us back into another room. Worst feeling ever! She started talking but the only thing I can remember are the words “We think he has leukemia”.
That was the worst day of our lives.
Then they rushed him to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital In Little Rock (3 hours away) and immediately tested him. The doctors then returned with the bad results saying he has “the good cancer”…Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a very common cancer in kids. ALL is very treatable and 90% of the kids survive after 2-3 years of treatments. The next day he got a port installed under his skin and started treatment right away.
We have struggled a lot, he used to be very scared all the time, but he maintained himself strong and he is all good with pokes and procedures now but this all has been very traumatic for our entire family.
Hope session by Terra Fondriest Photography | Instagram
Meet Portia – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Portia was diagnosed in November 2018 at 4 years old. Her treatment lasted 2 1/2 years. Portia was hospitalized over 18 times during treatment and suffered many side effects due to having Down Syndrome. She often didn’t understand what was happening.
Portia was very tired for about a month before diagnosis. We took her to the Dr and were told she was just tired from starting school. She began getting petechia but we didn’t know what it was. One day she fell and hit her lip and it wouldn’t stop bleeding for 2 hours. She woke up the following morning and her lip was black- we took her to UrgentCare and were told her lip was infected and the petechia was an allergic rash. The next day she was covered in the petechia and the nightmare began.
Portia has had countless blood transfusions., platelet transfusions, spinal taps every 3 months for 2 1/2 years, hospitalizations, bone marrow biopsies, and pneumonia, she was pulled out of school for 2 years because she was so fragile. we drove an hour away sometimes 3/4 days a week she was so sick and that is where the children’s hospital is.
Life was rough. We have a big family and our children were home with their older sibling- who was a God send. We missed our son’s games and countless school activities, and I lost my position at work for missing so much time. It was rough for all of us. My other kids were missing us, missing Portia, and just trying to cope.
Portia is strong and brave and definitely, her diagnosis and fight brought our family closer.
Hope session by Megan Mumford Photography | Instagram
Meet Madison – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Madison was diagnosed on Feb 8, 2022. It started with a lump in her left thigh, which we thought was a pulled muscle from dance. I was sitting at dinner the night before her doctor’s appointment for her leg and noticed a lump in her neck.
Our lives have been turned upside down, from having the freedom to do anything to some days not even leaving the house.
Hope session by Lindsay Chan Photography | Facebook | Instagram