My name is Heidi. I am Hannah’s Auntie. I am writing on behalf of my sister, Ashlei, my brother in law, Ramsay and my oldest niece, London. They would like to keep everyone informed and updated on Hannah’s journey, but as you can only imagine, they are concentrating on Hannah, and her immediate care. Every bit of energy is being focused on providing her with appropriate care, learning as much as they can-as fast as they can, to ensure the best outcome-remission and cure.
Hannah was just diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. She had been feeling a little “off” for a week or so, headaches off and on and tired, but no fevers, just not her usual self. On Monday evening, she looked a little puffy in her cheeks and neck, but not complaining of being sick. She woke up on Tuesday with significant swelling in her face and neck and had experienced night sweats. Ashlei called the pediatrician who asked to see Hannah right away. Because of COVID-19, her pediatrician came to the car and examined Hannah there. She noticed that Hannah’s lymph nodes were quite enlarged and her spleen was also enlarged. She ordered a battery of blood tests, chest x-ray and ultrasound to further investigate a suspicion of mononucleosis (mono).
Blood tests and imaging were done and the pediatrician called and told them to go directly to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. The blood test showed possible lymphoma and further testing was needed.
Hannah presented to the emergency room and additional blood tests were run right away. She was admitted to a room and a doctor came in around midnight to say that Hannah’s cancer was leukemia.
She was set up with specialists and scheduled to have bone marrow sampling, a spinal tap for cerebrospinal fluid sampling, a central port placed and a first dose of chemotherapy given all on Friday, May 8th. When the doctors and nurses explained what they were going to do, they asked if Hannah had any questions (you know she did). The staff was very impressed with how articulate our 7 year old is and that her questions were appropriate and relevant. She commented, “At least I don’t have COVID.” 😆 That night, she was given Ativan to ease her anxiety and experienced hallucinations. Needless to say, at this point Ashlei, Ramsay and Hannah haven’t slept much.
On Friday morning, she was given a blood transfusion because she was quite anemic. Hannah went into her procedure with a smile and complete faith in her team. Ashlei prayed with Hannah asking our Lord to please open the doctors and nurses eyes and ears to Him, and be guided by Him- Hannah added, “they better listen to Him!”😇 She gave the thumbs up as she was wheeled into the procedure room. Doctors came and said she did well, the procedure went well and they could go to recovery to see her. She was groggy and sleepy for the better part of the day, but was on FaceTime with her sissy by evening.
She handled these procedures like the mighty little trooper that she is.
The doctors found NO EVIDENCE OF LEUKEMIA in her cerebrospinal fluid!!! 🥳
Today is Saturday, May 9th. They all finally got some much needed/deserved sleep last night. When Hannah woke up, she had pain in her legs (a common side effect of one of the chemo medications) and wasn’t able to walk. Do you think that stopped her? 🤨 NOPE! She was in the play room playing with a castle and Cinderella and Mulan, playing a game on the computer and talking to me on FaceTime!
Tomorrow, Ramsay will bring London to the hospital to see Ashlei. No one except the parents are allowed in the hospital. London has been staying with her Granny and has been so strong having to be separated from her little sister and mama.
Hannah will have another dose of the chemotherapy on Monday. As long as she continues to do well (no fever or signs of infection) she will be able to go home on Monday, May 11th.
The next 30-45 days will be crucial. Hannah will be very high risk for infection. For her safety, she CAN NOT be exposed to anyone unnecessarily. Only Ramsay, Ashlei, London and our mom (Granny/Donna) will be able to see her. Before they have contact with her they will have to wash their hands, have no exposure from outside on them. Things that most people wouldn’t even think of can be extremely dangerous for her- fresh flowers, plants to name a couple.
Hannah will have chemo every Friday in Dallas for a month, then every Wednesday in Plano for at least 8 months. She will have a spinal tap every few weeks to be sure the cancer is not in the cerebrospinal fluid. She will have blood tests before chemo each week to be sure her blood count is appropriate and to show how the chemo is working. She has a regimen of oral medications to take daily, some sporadically. She will be taking dexamethasone (a corticosteroid) daily, which will cause her to be puffy in the face, she will likely lose her hair in the next few weeks and her tummy will look bloated-more side effects from the medications. Foods that she normally likes may not taste good anymore, she may crave salty or sweet foods-and it can change rapidly. She will be very emotional, very needy, and demanding. This is going to be a rough road for her and she is going to need her mommy and daddy and sissy’s undivided attention.
At this point, our biggest request for support is prayer. Please pray for Hannah, Ashlei, Ramsay and London as they begin this journey.
So many of us would like to go to them, to help ease their stress and show support, but social distancing / isolation is the only way to protect Hannah at this point. So, send well wishes on this site, send Ashlei or Ramsay a text, but please be understanding if they don’t get back to you right away or at all.
Between us, we will update this site often. Thank you for being part of Hannah’s Fight Club.
This girl is mighty, she is fierce and she will beat this! Cancer picked the wrong Princess!
Our 28 day journey at the hospital thankfully ended at 15 days! We came home yesterday. Hannah's team of doctors felt comfortable with my abilities that they are allowing us to finish this particular chemotherapy at home. We are the first family at the hospital that has been allowed to do this. No pressure.. LOL! Hannah has a little backpack that she carries her chemo and pump in. We will go to the hospital in Dallas each Monday and Thursday to get a new bag of chemo and have her port needle changed. She has been eating much better and having little side effects during this round of chemo. This part of treatment will finish on Oct. 1st.
The next round will start Oct. 7th. As long as her counts are high enough, she will get a new chemotherapy and be admitted to the hospital every other Wed. through Friday for high doses of methotrexate. She previously had Methotrexate toxicity so it will be best for her to be monitored in the hospital for a few days after it's administered.
We are incredibly grateful for all the love, prayers and support!
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