Mackenzie is a social butterfly and can make friends anywhere. She loves animals, especially her dog, music, anime, and fashion- but more of a slightly alternative kind, not too out there, but definitely some punk or goth-type influences in her style.
Mackenzie was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in December 2014, when she was 3 years old. She had chronic ear infections and skin problems, and a CT scan to check her ears showed skull and mastoid destruction.
She had the standard port placement and nearly 2 years of IV chemo at the start. We moved to targeted therapy (much easier oral chemo after relapse number 2). She has had a few lumbar punctures, brain MRIs, and echo/EKGs every 3 months. She has been in physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and counseling off and on. She is currently only in occupational therapy and counseling.
All things considered, Mackenzie doesn’t have very many limitations. She has suffered several relapses in the central nervous system and brain that have had some effects. Her speech is slightly slower than normal, and sometimes weirdly forced. Her coordination is not 100%, but not too bad, She can’t ride a bike or stand on one foot for long, but unless you knew to pay attention, you wouldn’t notice. It has also affected memory and information processing, she’s a little on the slow side of “normal” but is holding her own in school.
Mackenzie’s diagnosis was a huge shock and change at the start. It feels like a weird normal now, and her siblings were both born well after diagnosis, so it’s all they’ve known.
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