Celia was diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in late October of 2020 when she was just 3 years old and living in Pakistan with our family (This was during the height of COVID when thousands were dying, and before vaccines even existed). Because of the time, we all were required to quarantine and only left the house for necessary reasons. This was why we waited longer than normal to have her seen by a doctor out of fear she would catch COVID. Much was unknown at that time and COVID was a very scary diagnosis that led to death for so many people.
She was seemingly perfect these days… running around, eating, drinking, playing with cousins. One day she spiked a fever and we didn’t think much of it, gave her medication, and went to bed. The next morning she had a blood blister on her upper lip. We figured she bit her lip during the night. Over the next three days, her fever kept returning after her meds wore off, and the blood blister on her lip had tripled in size. Finally, on day three she was seen by a pediatrician. Her blood labs showed she not only needed an emergency blood transfusion but also suggested cancer. We were absolutely devastated. After a long and painful start to her cancer treatment that resulted in COVID and a near relapse (due to a doctor’s deviation from protocol overseas), she was flown to Boston and continued her treatment with Dana Farber.
Once at Dana Farber she was deemed “high risk” and began a high-dose chemotherapy and steroid regimen in an attempt to tackle the cancer once and for all. After three years of intense protocol and countless admissions to Boston Children’s Hospital due to side effects and the nature of treatments, Celia is now cancer-free and living happily.
Celia’s story truly does shine a light on the importance of where you receive your cancer care and how protocol exists for a reason. If she had continued care in Pakistan, if we had not been able to fly her back to Boston, she might not be here today. Without us knowing, her doctor overseas reduced her chemotherapy to 75% and caused her to come within .001% of relapsing. Dana Farber saved her life by doubling down and treating the cancer aggressively after her transfer. We are forever grateful for that.
Our family has since welcomed a baby brother, Adam, and Celia has been promoted to big sister. Today our family practices daily gratitude for the normalcy we have been blessed with and never forget the impact cancer has had on our lives.
Hope session by Isabel Sweet Photography | Facebook | Instagram