Though I have talked to many of you about Amelia's ALL and what it means to her, I want to post a short explanation lest the health oracle medMD (and jebus forbid, wikipedia) give the wrong reading:
ALL and other leukemias affect the white blood cells, and thus the immune system. In Amelia's case, the immature white cells (called blasts), which reside in her bone marrow, are affected by the leukemia. They grow out of balance with the rest of her blood, and crowd out her platelets and hemoglobin (clotting factor and iron-containing oxygen transport, respectively). Amelia's ALL affects her type B white cells. Her chest is free of masses, and she does not have any leukemia in her spinal fluid. These are great things.
Of course nobody in their right mind wants a child to get cancer, but if you had to wish it upon someone, this is the best one to have. ALL is highly treatable, and the fact that Amelia is five and female drops her into the standard risk category. She has a road ahead, to be sure, but one with a positive destination.
So here is what we have done and what we would like to see anyone who loves Amelia do:
Pluck any and all negative medical terminology, nouns, and adjectives from your frontal lobe and send them off to Stephen King for his next horror novel. You will not need them here. Not only are we chanting the mantra "Amelia will be fine", but we have evicted any thoughts, words, and emotions that contradict said mantra. Please do the same. In their stead, do what you do anytime you feel sad. If you pray, then pray. If you meditate, om on. Go for a run, have a beer, write, listen to music...the opportunities for positive activity and thought are endless. Above all, please remember that Amelia is still Amelia. She just happens to be one of the 4000 other kids in the US that have added leukemia as a small part of who they are for the moment. Please see her for the same funny, smart, stubborn, beautiful kid she was a few weeks ago, when we were all blissfully unaware of the future on the horizon. This is the biggest gift you can give her. Please don't forget to love Molly through all of this, also. She has been an incredible trooper, though she must be feeling unsure of the changes around her.
Thanks for all that you do.
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