Help Devon Fight Leukaemia

Our family would like to take the time to reach out for support in this time of need for our beloved, strong, brave Devon Schwabe-Roy.

Recently she has had some health issues that none of us could have thought would lead us to her diagnosis.

She started experiencing migraines; during this time, she developed gum inflammation; as days got worse and worse, we could not see her beautiful pearly whites anymore after the pain had become unbearable to eat, drink or get out of bed.

She waited to see a Dentist, only for them to have no idea of what was going on with her, and they referred her to a specialist where they could not determine if her symptoms were dental or medical-related. The specialist acted fast and sent her to get blood work done.

While waiting for the results, Devon continued to get weaker; the pain had increased. After multiple hospital visits within 48 hours, it sent our family into panic mode to figure out what was causing her so much agony.

On December 8th, Devon received a call at home. The doctors said she needed to pack a bag and get to Nanaimo General right away. The doctors found abnormalities in her blood work; they mentioned that they would airlift her to Vancouver General within the hours.

Upon her arrival, she was hooked up immediately to pain meds and IVs, where she awaited the doctor to tell her what was going on.

When the doctor arrived, he had informed her very bluntly that she had been diagnosed with Leukemia; it was very aggressive.

Even though Devon had been seeking answers, this answer was never one she had even thought of; within a few hours, she was they mentioned that they would airlift her to Vancouver.

During this time, Stacey and Jon, Devon's parents, raced home to pack bags for all three of them and to hop on the next ferry to meet

Devon over at Vancouver General.

When Devon arrived at Vancouver General, she was in the ER for 24 hours on IV and more pain meds.

The next day she received a room in the ICU for Leukaemia, where it was time for her Doctors to determine which type of Leukaemia she had and establish a recommended treatment.

Devon's doctors inserted a Hickman line in her neck to receive her medicine; they started bone marrow and blood tests to find the root of her problem.

The test results concluded that Devon has been experiencing acute myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive form of Leukemia.

This type of cancer is in her bloodstream; it attacks the muscle tissues, causing her gums and lymph nodes to be inflamed and swollen.

The following day they needed to get her on two aggressive kinds of chemotherapy; to determine which type of chemo was best for her, they needed to test her heart to make sure she could handle the treatment.

The first chemo was cytarabine, and the other was daunorubicin.

December is a crucial month for Devon's journey; by day 28 of chemo, the doctors will determine if her body's reacting well to the recommended treatments.

If the outcome is in our favour, she will go into remission; the doctors can decide whether she becomes an outpatient; once Devon is in remission, she will undergo more chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant. These circumstances will leave Devon living in Vancouver for the unforeseeable future; the doctors have estimated this would be anywhere between 3-6 months.

Due to this situation, we have opened this GoFundMe account to help support our sister, friend, and partner. Your donation will help us cover the increasing medical expenses, along with Devon's basic needs.

Before this ongoing hardship, Devon was living on her own and working a full-time job; she is now unable to continue to support her own basic needs. Along with this financial burden, she also needs her support network to get through this time.

Her parents have taken time off work to be with her in Vancouver.

The hotel and accommodation expenses compounded by her hospitalization continue to increase.

Your donations will ease the financial burden on Devon and her family, thus allowing her to be less concerned about what is happening at home or in her personal life; during this time, Devon should focus on her recovery.

Starting a Go Fund Me page was the last thing we wanted to do; we accept your donations with humility and appreciation.

Thank you in advance from Devon, her mother Stacey, her father John, and our extended family.