Love Gets Sarah Through Her Leukemia Treatment
When the unexpected and rare happened to Sarah and her family, they knew exactly where to go.
Sarah’s parents started noticing abnormal amounts of bruising on Sarah’s legs, more than what a typical adventurous fifth grader would have. Her parents made the decision to bring her to Valley Children’s and after a few tests, discovered their decision ultimately saved their daughter’s life.
“The leukemia Sarah had was a very rare one,” explains Dr. Vonda Crouse, pediatric hematologist and oncologist. “The reason it needs to be recognized immediately is they can get very sick, very quickly with a lot of problems with bleeding.”
Mere days after Valley Children’s doctors diagnosed Sarah with promyelocytic leukemia, she started her treatment. This treatment kept her in the hospital for 30 days straight before she was able to finish her chemotherapy in the comfort of her own home. However, her treatment kept her immunocompromised, keeping her out of school and away from her friends.
This didn’t stop her parents, classmates and teacher from showering Sarah with love. Her teacher helped her classmates videochat her the months she couldn’t be in school and they made her a banner to show their love and support.
Nine months later, Sarah completed chemo and today is in excellent health.
“I felt very surprised at myself because I thought there was no end to it,” says Sarah. “I just feel very happy with myself.”
The love her family, classmates, teachers and doctors showed Sarah helped her not only get through her cancer journey, but do so with a smile.
The Leading Pediatric Cancer Center in Central California
As one of the leading pediatric cancer facilities on the West Coast, our Valley Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center serves as the only provider of pediatric oncology services between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Learn more about how our expert team of pediatric cancer and blood disorder specialists work together to treat more than 1,000 oncology patients each year >>