Ella Joy loves telling knock knock jokes! They make her laugh! She loves dancing with her younger brother Asaph. She loves lego friends, Shopkins, and sticky mosaics. She adores it when I put essential oils under her big toe to help with germs. She is all about the Disney princesses as well as Barbie mermaids and my little pony. She also loves reading chapter books. She is into hair bows and tutus, and was so happy when her hair started to grow back!
In the fall of 2013, Ella Joy experienced enlarged lymph nodes in inner thigh groin area and in her neck. She was also vomiting while having stomach pains and refusing to eat. On October 8th, 2013, she was diagnosed with stage 4 non-hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer t-cell. T-cell lymphoma is a blood cancer and can be fast growing. Ella Joy has been treated with aall kinds of strong chemo (like cytosine and mtx), spinal taps, blood transfusions, biopsies and IV pushes. It has been a struggle going to the hospital in the middle of the night for ER visits and also take care of her younger brother while she is inpatient at the hospital.
Cancer has changed our family life. We never take one another for granted. We pray every single day for Ella Joy to have zero cancer and negative MRD. There was a moment when her oncologist told us Ella Joy had a 30% or less chance to live. We were devastated and prayed to God to help her live. She is still on active chemo treatment but her legs, bones, and muscles will never be the same. She took a tumble down a small hill and her port started bleeding. Her stomach was hurting from the damage to the lining of her stomach as well as being backed up by all the chemo and she had to go to the ER recently. We are so thankful for all our friends who faithfully pray for Ella Joy.
