Ali is amazing – she is kind, funny, sweet, caring (she spends a lot of time helping the autistic students at her school), smart, and beautiful. She is all-around amazing! She is in her last year of elementary school (which is 4th grade at her school) and turns 10 in June! She loves crafting, playing with her little sister and younger cousins, and cooking. Right now, she is involved with a running club, robotics club, dance class, and Girl Scouts.
Ali was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on July 27th 2020. It was at the beginning of the pandemic…Ali had a few low-grade fevers, followed by a huge drop in energy and a greenish tint to her skin. In the days of virtual pediatrician visits and taking weeks to get Covid test results, we took her to the ER after a week thinking she might have liver or kidney issues. After the ER incorrectly diagnosed her with MIS-C, we were transported by ambulance to Nemours in Delaware where Ali was diagnosed with cancer two days later.
Ali has had 800 days of treatment and spent almost 40 nights in the hospital. She has had nearly 20 spinal taps, two entire months connected to a trial drug 24/7 (where she could only shower in the hospital every Friday), trips to the hospital (an hour away) weekly or twice a week for the first year of treatment and monthly for the next 1.5 years.
Our anxiety and worry will never go away (along with cancer PTSD) but it has also made us appreciate things more and cherish the moment because you never know when things might change.
Hope Session by Becky Gardner Memories | Facebook