Nolan Whitehead Nolan's ALL Journey

At the end of December of 2017 our son Nolan was admitted to Rainbow Babies and Children's hospital for what we thought would be anemia due to a recent cold and ear infection.  After obtaining a blood sample the staff knew we were dealing with something much bigger, Nolan's red cell, white cell and platelet counts were all extremely low and he required immediate transfusions. At the time the doctors weren't certain what was plaguing Nolan, it took two days of treatment and testing before they decided to obtain a bone marrow biopsy. The results of the biopsy resulted in a diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), which we now know to be further classified as B Cell ALL. Nolan started the first phase of his chemo treatment that day. For the first two weeks following his diagnoses, he stayed hospitalized to receive his treatment and manage his symptoms. After which, he was released and is now receiving outpatient treatment. If everything goes according to plan, the treatment consists on 5 phases and last about 3 years. We hope Nolan will achieve a remission status in the coming month or so, when he does reach remission the chemo will continue as planned. It is important to keep on the chemo treatment schedule to reduce the risk of re-occurrence.  We have opened up this caring bridge site to keep family and friends up to date on Nolan's progress. We know Nolan has an army of people here to support him, lots of people have him in their hearts and on their mind. Thank you all for that!