Annalee's Leukemia is Out of Luck

Annalee is a sweet, sassy 11-year-old who has been having pain and fatigue for the last few months. She lost her appetite, turned pale, suffered from headaches and nausea, and lost interest in activities she once loved. We were sent to Primary Children's Hospital for a 1 hour visit to explore the possibility of juvenile arthritis. They couldn't decide what it was, but gave us some pain meds and told us to come back in three months. They had her give a blood sample on the way out. 

We went to lunch in SLC before we headed back to Idaho. While eating, we got a call. They asked if we'd left the city yet. Then they told us to come to the ER; the blood test had come back with bad news. She was diagnosed with leukemia and spent the next 11 days (including Christmas) in the hospital. Before she left the hospital, she got additional bad news that she had developed medication-induced diabetes and would have to take insulin shots as well.

She will be fighting this for the next 2-2.5 years. It will be tough on her and on our whole family, but we are ready to do whatever it takes. The hospital is 2.5 hours away. She will have many chemo treatments over the next few years. Her dad is in his last year of graduate school and working. Her mom is trying to take care of her in the hospital and the 3 younger ones at home.

The day Annalee was diagnosed with leukemia, her grandfather was also in surgery for a tumor in his throat. They later found out it had spread and become lymphoma. Now she and her grandfather will be going through chemotherapy together.

If you feel to help make our burden a little lighter, we would appreciate any donation. Above all we appreciate prayers in her behalf.

I post updates on this site, but if you would like even more details of our journey, you can follow me on Facebook at Sandi VanderBeek Rowe.