William was diagnosed on March 4, 2021, with leukemia. He had no symptoms other than a few small patches of petechiae and a few small bruises. We were at a routine pediatrician appointment for his asthma and I asked her to look at the red spots on his tummy and she noticed two small bruises on his hands. She knew and blood work confirmed cancer. He has done pretty well so far but is very high risk as he was not clear at the end of induction and has the MLL rearrangement.
He’s been through a lot of LPs and 5 hospital stays so far. He’s been neutropenic through a lot of treatment so far so we have been very isolated. That’s probably been the hardest part. That and my husband and I both working from home throughout.
We also have a 9-year-old daughter who has had to go virtual with school and miss a lot of time with friends. We also have a 2.5-year-old son who struggles to understand changes and isn’t sleeping well. Balancing everything without much help due to being isolated has been a struggle.
Through all of this, William shines bright! His smile lights up every room. His laugh is infectious and he’s charmed all the hospital staff.
Hope session by Karyn Olsson Photography | Facebook