On April 16, 2022, I brought my son Ezekiel "Zeke" to a sick appointment because of leg pain, stomach pain, and a fever over the last few days. We were sent for some additional testing (bloodwork and an X-ray of his stomach area). Later that day, we received a call from the doctor saying we needed to get Zeke back to the hospital fast because his bloodwork wasn't normal, and he had an enlarged liver and spleen. We woke up Easter morning in the hospital for the first of what would become over 100 nights at the hospital throughout his treatment.
After his bone marrow biopsy was completed, we were informed Zeke had B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). About 10 days after this diagnosis, we were asked to come back to the hospital to have a meeting. What we didn't expect was that Zeke's diagnosis would change. Zeke's genetic testing showed he actually had a very rare and difficult-to-treat form of leukemia called Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ALL) which only occurs in 3-5% of all ALL diagnoses. This changed everything, and I mean everything. With this new information, Zeke's treatment plan changed completely. He now required a very aggressive treatment plan.
Zeke is doing well with treatment, and everything seems to be going well. His last day of treatment will be next April 2024, and we are just looking ahead!
Zeke
acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL)
