Janell’s Story – Acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Janell Jones’ mom Jennifer wasn’t so concerned about bruises that seemed to pop up on her lively 3-year-old “girly girl” with long, red hair. She chalked it up to having an active child. She had some nose bleeds, too, but Jennifer thought perhaps those were allergy-related.

However, when Janell kept running temperatures of 102° and 103°, she knew something was wrong.

Janell’s pediatrician did bloodwork that revealed extremely low hemoglobin, so she was sent to Niswonger Children’s Hospital and diagnosed with a type of anemia. It was so severe that the doctors told her parents that she wouldn’t have lived another week without treatment. Janell began receiving bone marrow transfusions every two weeks, yet the fevers continued.

During another pediatrician visit, Janell’s hemoglobin again was dangerously low. This time, she was rushed to Niswonger Children’s Hospital where her family was shocked by the new diagnosis – acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Soon Jennifer and her daughter were on a plane to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.

“We got there at 4 a.m. and she didn’t know what in the world was happening,” recalls  Jennifer. “She had IVs in her. They did a bone aspiration and a spinal tap at the hospital. Then we learned she had more than just leukemia. The cancer was in her spine. They started chemo the next day.”

In addition to all the rigorous treatments, Janell missed her family and became depressed. She didn’t want to do anything. “I was getting depressed, too, because I couldn’t be there to mother my other kids,” Jennifer recalls. “My other two kids stayed here and they couldn’t come
see her. My older daughter didn’t get to do cheerleading; I missed all but one of my son’s football games.”

When Janell was finally able to go back to her home in Marion, Virginia, everything changed. “Her whole demeanor changed to happier,” says Jennifer. “She got to see her sister, her brother and her puppy.”

Now 5 years old, being able to continue her chemotherapy treatments at the St. Jude Tri-Cities Affiliate Clinic at Niswonger Children’s Hospital has made a huge difference for Janell’s family. “Coming here is wonderful,” says Jennifer. “If we couldn’t come to Niswonger for treatments we would have to live in Memphis. Some families do. They stay in the Ronald McDonald House and the other kids’ lives are put on hold.”

Jennifer says Janell even looks forward to her visits. “The nurses interact with her so much. She loves the gym and they play with her,” Jennifer says. “The child life specialists help her overcome her fears. When she first got a “buddy” port put in she screamed and cried. She still doesn’t like it but she doesn’t scream and cry. The staff is the reason for that. Now she doesn’t
mind coming her at all unless she’s getting a spinal tap.

Now that Janell is coming closer to the end of her long treatment period, Jennifer says Janell is excited, but they will both miss the staff at the hospital that have become like their family. “I would say to other parents going through what we have that they can be sure that the staff
here knows what they’re doing. Sometimes there may be things happening that you question, but in the end I see that they did everything to my child’s benefit. Being able to come here has made life so much easier. I don’t know what we would do if Niswonger Children’s Hospital
wasn’t here.”