Our little girl is 2 1/2 years old and started to get sick in the middle of october of 2011. Her issues were constipation, being constantly tired, pale, a light cough and 2 days of a low grade fever. Nothing too alarming, but we decided to bring her into the ER on October 23, 2011 (sunday) as she was feeling like that for about 1 1/2 weeks and something was telling us not to wait until her appointment with her family doctor a couple of days later. The doctors at the ER didn’t even let us wait for long and requested a blood sample right away. A blessing as this is really the only way to see that she has leukemia. We are so grateful to Dr. Reimer from Steinbach that he decided to do that. We were not told much in Steinbach, just that we had to leave to the chidren’s hospital right away as they were very worried about Mikayla. We didn’t think much of it. How serious could it be? You really don’t think of cancer or anything that serious. We even stopped at McDonald’s on our way to children’s as both of our kids were complaining about being hungry and we figured we wouldn’t get to eat right away any way. When we arrived we saw the doctor right away. I don’t like to remember to much after that. People started coming in and out everybody saying that it was serious that she was very sick and we should prepare ourselves. They started pocking at her for blood and put her on an IV. She was just screaming and crying. It just went downhill from there. It felt like a nightmare, not real. None of our kids were really severely sick before and we just never expected that. But here we were sitting, being told that if it turns out that our little baby has leukemia, it would be the better illness of the possibilities of what she could have. The bloodtest came back and it was confirmed. “ALL”. A word we have never heard before, but now it is our live. I remember arguing with the doctor saying that it can’t be and kept saying it might be from her constipation. I remember repeating no over and over again until my husband told me that no matter how much I deny it, it will not make it go away. I remember our 4 year old son going back and forth between me and my husband not understanding why we were crying trying to hug us and make us feel better, offering us stuffed animals. I remember looking at my daughter lying there sleeping being tired from all that has been done to her that evening and just not understanding why something like that would happen to her. She was too small, she couldn’t understand yet. I hated being in the room, people walking by and giving us those looks. Uhhh, those looks. So much pitty, so much pain. I wanted to take my family and run. October 23, 2011 burned into our hearts. I don’t think our lives will ever be the same.
Life can really blind side you, and you feel as if someone has wacked you right in the gut. But we have too always remember that no matter what, God is there with us, and he will help us through this no matter what, as long as we hold on to him.
Thank you Elizabeth! It is a real comfort to know that we have God on our side and that through prayer we can do so much!
David and Vika you are in my prayers and thoughts, constantly. I wish I could make everyhing better for you, but I can’t. Just know you are in my thoughts and prayers all the time.