At age 2, Myra began having fevers and joint pain. Her parents took her to their pediatrician where she had bloodwork done. The results came back normal except it showed she was a little anemic.
“Myra never had any bruising or any issues other than the recurring fever,” according to her father.
But the fevers continued. At that point, their doctor recommended a bone marrow biopsy as a last resort to see if they could determine what was causing her symptoms. As they were getting ready to be discharged from the hospital, the lab called to let them know she had B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).
Myra began treatment immediately with her last chemotherapy slated for July 2022. She has experienced some side effects including hair loss, mood swings from the steroids, and stomach issues. She is also in speech therapy to help with her delayed speech.
“It was devastating at the beginning, but we’ve gotten so much support from our community. We’ve also received COVID relief from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).”
When dealing with childhood cancer, the whole family is affected. During Myra’s treatment, her mother had to stop working to provide full-time care for her. It’s also been a challenge for her parents to get her to wear a mask because she doesn’t understand what is happening to her.
“We haven’t told her that she has cancer because she’s too young to understand.”
Overall, she’s doing well, and she’s happy and energetic. But the family has no way of knowing if there will be more symptoms down the road, or if any long-term issues might pop up.
Why do Myra and her parents support LLS?
“Parents need better options for treating their children’s blood cancer. More research means better cures and less disruption for kids’ lives.”
Myra
Pre b-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
