On April 7, 2021, our entire world changed in an instant when after a routine doctor’s appointment, my 11 year old niece Bella was diagnosed with T cell ALL leukemia, one of the hardest types of leukemia to treat. Bella was quickly admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit at CHOA at Scottish Rite, where her mother Star has been with her night and day since that evening. The type of leukemia that Bella has must be treated aggressively and her intensive treatment started immediately. They told us if we had not found the cancer now, Bella would have died within a few months. There is nothing more terrifying than hearing doctors describe a 2.5 year treatment plan to try to save your child’s life, and listening to them tell you the endless pages of scary side effects for each of the chemotherapy drugs they must use in that battle to save her.
Bella’s mother Star will be staying with her full time during her initial month long stay in the hospital, and for each successive impatient stint for treatment over the course of the next few years. Bella’s father lost his own battle with cancer in 2016, and Star is her only living parent. We want to help financially support her need to be with her youngest daughter both during and between treatment cycles, and to help with the medical bills as they inevitably build up. Star and Bella currently live over an hour and a half from CHOA, and even when not in the hospital full time, they will have to travel back and forth often between the North GA mountains and Atlanta where Bella’s amazing team of oncologists are located.
Bella has a long and difficult fight ahead of her, but she has assured us all she intends to come out on the other side of this, and we can help her on her fight to get there. All donations will go directly to Bella’s care, to helping her mom with the personal costs of being at the hospital full time with Bella, and to medical bills. We also cherish any and all prayers, energy, love, and light you can send up for our little warrior Bella! She’s already our hero as she has faced all the meds, tests, and procedures like a champ and is still smiling and asking the nurses rapid fire questions. A few weeks ago, Bella was getting excited for her family’s upcoming trip to Disney and the beach for her birthday in June, and was busy with typical 11 year old things like playing video games, reading graphic novels, arguing with her brother, snuggling with her cats, building Legos, asking for Starbucks, and playing board games with her family. Now she is fighting for the chance to finish her childhood and grow up. Let’s help her get there!⭐️