Max’s story – Acute lymphoblastic anemia
Before Max became sick, he was a very strong boy. He loved sports. He played a lot. He was very healthy. When he turned three in March 2017, I took him to the doctor. He did a blood test and the doctor told me the results were good but that his iron was low. The doctor recommended I give him vitamins.
But in June, just three months later, I came home from work and Max said his stomach was hurting. I gave him medicine and he seemed a little better. Max is my youngest. My husband Martin and I have three other children. So, I know how to take care of my kids when they are sick and when they need to see a doctor.
Later that evening, Max told me his stomach hurt even more and he started crying. That was around 8 or 9 o’clock in the evening. I took him to the hospital in Bristol. They did a scan of his stomach because it was so bloated. The doctor said his stomach was inflamed. Then they did a blood test and said they suspected he had leukemia. He was transferred to a children’s hospital and there, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
When someone says your child has leukemia, you cannot assimilate it. You cannot accept it. It was so just hard for me to believe, especially because he had just been to the doctor for a checkup.
The doctors told me they can never know exactly when someone develops leukemia. But, I’m glad they found it when they did. Because other than having an upset stomach, Max had no symptoms of leukemia, like nose bleeds or bruising.
On June 19, 2017 – just three days after he was diagnosed – we took him to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis for treatment. It was a long drive from our home in Bristol. And it was hard having our family separated. But I always tell people, “How far would you go for your child? You do everything you have to.”
After three and a half months, he was released and able to be treated at Niswonger’s Children’s Hospital. It’s much closer to our home. And the doctors and nurses and child life specialists there are wonderful.
Our family is back together and Max has started kindergarten. He’s more “chill” now than he used to be. He can’t play as much because he gets tired easily. But we are at week 101 of 120 weeks of chemotherapy, so we are counting down the days until his treatment is finished. Hopefully, treatments will be over in time for his 6th birthday, and he will feel a lot better. – Rosalia, Max’s mom