On April 27th 2020, we took Kairi to the ER for a fever, throbbing headache and bruising. We weren't sure what the diagnosis would be, but we definitely did not expect to hear Acute Myeloid Leukemia. AML is a cancer of the bone marrow that spreads rapidly. Of the 2 different types of Leukemia, AML is the more difficult to treat. Kairi was rushed to CHOC where she will continue to get treatment for a total of 6-8 months. Her first night at the hospital was difficult. She was put on the cancer floor because the docs thought she would be stable enough there but the next morning she was transferred to the Pediactric Intensive Care Unit. She was unable to breathe on her own and was in so much pain that she was uncooperative. We had to make the difficult decision to intubation and sedation to  get the proper tests done and assist her with breathing. We discovered that she had 95% of cancer in her body spreading to her brain and spinal cord. She excavated her own tube in her sleep on May 1st. In her own way she was ready to get up. On May 4th, she started chemo and on May 6th she graduated back to the cancer floor. The first month was extremely difficult for her. After just being diagnosed with Leukemia, spending a week in PICU, and receiving chemo she lost weight quickly and was unable to keep anything. down. Every time you get chemo you have to wait for counts to recover and do tests at the end to find out the next course of treatment and waiting is hard. We were hopeful that she'd be able to come home for a little while to see her brother and sister again and hopeful that this would be an easier cancer to treat.  But on May 27th we were told by the doctor that she still had 25% of cancer in her blood marrow which is still considered high after getting a first dose of chemo.  Kairi would also need a bone marrow transplant. She would not be able to go home and need to jump into the next phase of treatment which the doctors call the kitchen sink. The second round she took like a champ. Her nausea was more controlled and with the help of a feeding tube she was able to gain a little of the weight she had lost. We had hoped that she would be able to come home for her 14th birthday on July 11th but unfortunately because her numbers went down she was unable to. 78 days later on July 13th she finally was able to be reunited with her siblings again. We don't know how long we will have her. Hopefully a week and a half to two weeks. Because Kairi frequently has to receive blood and platelets and she's so susceptible to infection home visits are unpredictable. We are just enjoying the time we do have with her while we have it. She will have a bone marrow biopsy next Monday and that will tell the doctors what the next step is. Whether it be another round of chemo or wait til she's healthy enough for transplant. Her older sister Kaylene is in line for bone marrow donation. We were unable to find a 100% donor match due to her ethnicity. Luckily, Kay is a 50% match and that is enough. Once we know the next step, Kay will have to go back for another round of tests. 
These past 2 and a half months have been a struggle mentally and physically not just for Kairi but our entire family. It is never easy seeing your child ill and being so helpless and wanting nothing more than to take the pain away. Being separated, having to juggle the hospital and home life while still trying to be there for our other 2 children, what our children our feeling and thinking... it takes it's toll. I have been able to go home if I'm lucky a couple times a week to see our son Adam and other daughter Kay. Dad has been back and forth between us at the hospital and our other kids, and Kay has been helping us watch our son while we're both at the hospital. Due to Covid many of the amenities that the hospital offers we are unable to use. They only allow 2 visitors for the duration of Kairi's stay and only one at a time. We have exhausted all of our finances traveling back and forth, buying Kairi food because she does not like the hospital food (her senses are heightened due to chemo and she has a low tolerance for anything with a weird texture or smell), living expenses and buying her clothes and things to keep busy. With the pandemic we are unable to work because if we get sick we could get her sick and we can't see Kairi. And with us being the only ones allowed to see her there is no one else to take our place. We also need to make sure our other kids remain healthy because Kay is the donor and our son is still young and susceptible to illness as well. We know that this is a difficult time for everyone but any help big or small would be greatly appreciated. We will update everyone as often as we can with her progress and thank you in advance for your prayers, positive thoughts and donations.