Ajooni was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) in May 2018, 3 weeks before she turned 3.’It took quite a long time to diagnose; as in the beginning, doctors thought it was asthma, regular infections. Ajooni was given several courses of antibiotics for 6 months. She was unwell very frequently for 6 months before she got diagnosed. In the lead-up to her diagnosis, she had a swollen elbow due to fluid retention in the joint and a swollen liver and spleen. A blood test in A&E and then a bone marrow test revealed that she had leukemia.
Since her diagnosis, Ajooni has endured intense chemotherapy, blood transfusions, spinal taps, high-dose steroids, several lumbar punctures, and many more invasive and toxic interventions. Her energy levels have dipped due to muscle wastage. But she is still in good spirits and is bravely facing the other side effects of chemotherapy. She is moving forward but is facing anxiety issues. She is receiving counseling and support through school. We as parents have also been diagnosed with PTSD, we are taking medications for support.
Before her diagnosis, Ajooni had a fairly busy lifestyle. She was at nursery 5 full days a week as we were working parents. The diagnosis obviously changed ours & her life in a lot of ways forever. She was at home full time with me (mum) as her carer. She longs to be out and about, meet friends, spend time with her dad who is very busy working as I was not working from 2018-2020. She felt very stuck and frustrated at times. We pinned her hopes to the end of treatment. We have led a life in lockdown since 2018 so nothing changes for us post COVID. She is very happy that her (chest port) wiggly has come out and no more distasteful chemo meds. But upset that we haven’t been able to deliver all promises we made about doing fun things together at end of treatment. e.g a family holiday, end of treatment celebration, bell-ringing ceremony, etc.
Despite being so sick, she still found reasons to smile and laugh. Throughout the treatment, she tried to be a happy-go-lucky child. She constantly reminded me and dad to keep smiling numerous times a day.
Gold hope team,
We are very grateful that you chose to help us with this photo shoot to mark the occasion of end of treatment. Bex is just such an amazing photographer, she has a magic touch to all these shots.
We are ever so thankful to you all for this expereince.
Love : Ajooni, mum , dad and her sister