After being home for two months from when the pandemic began, Penelope started coming down with fevers. This was strange to us, because we hadn’t gone anywhere in weeks – not even the supermarket. Once joint pain started accompanying the fevers, we knew something was up, so we asked for a blood test to check things further. They told us to relax and they’d call us in a week – and they called the very next day. “Pack a bag,” her doctor said, “and head straight to the ER.” It was June 17th, 2020. That evening, Penelope was diagnosed with leukemia, and our lives were forever changed.

What followed were 26 months of treatment full of spinal taps, chemotherapy infusions, IVIG infusions, blood and platelet transfusions, surgeries, scans, tests, and too many blood draws to count. As a family, we had to navigate this with a global pandemic overlapping it all, and virtual schooling for both kids. We made sacrifices to keep her safe and did all we could to support her as our family unit grew even tighter. To say it was difficult is an understatement. And although her treatment finished August 22, 2022, it never really ends: the monitoring, blood draws, tests, and the endless worry that comes with every fever and cough… 

It's every parent’s worst nightmare hearing the words, “Your child has cancer.” And after all we’ve been through as a family, I’m inspired to make a difference to lighten the load for others. To make treatments better for the future, to help provide more support for families going through what ours did, and to prioritize finding a cure to end blood cancers. 

 I have joined the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS) to participate in the fundraising campaign for Visionary of the Year beginning March 23, 2023. For 10 weeks, my team will raise as much as possible (and our goal is BIG) to help find a cure and end ALL blood cancers. Please support me, our family and all of the little warriors like Penelope.

DONATE TODAY.