Lily's Journey to Battle Leukemia

Hi, we are Ivonne and Milton Segovia. I've created this fundraiser to support my kid Lily who, in may 2018, was diagnosed with Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow at the tender age of 4.

It all started an afternoon of 2018 when she had a seizure after being rushed to the ER, her bloodwork showed minimal amounts of hemoglobin and severely low white cells, consequently she was addmited into the hospital right away; after blood transfusions and medication, she started to be her usual self and we were discharged however were asked to come back a few days later to do a bone marrow aspiration, that was the first of many medical concepts I wish as a family didn't have to learn.

The day was may 18th 2018; We learned an unsurmountable truth in life: when you think it can't get worse, it can. This is the day my wife and I were informed the seizure was a side effect of cancer; yes, the doctor across that the table to us just told us that Lily has cancer. Our souls left our bodies, breathing was hard and our hearts were racing even being sat down, this is the day that uncertainty took over.

We were clueless about Leukemia and spent so much of the following days asking why? Why is this happening to my baby? She's only 4 years old; she's done nothing wrong.

Then you move forward; We met several doctors and nurses in our stay that we couldn't keep up. I remember just taking notes that after a while made no sense; we heard concepts such as "chemotherapy, induction, platelets, white cells, radiotherapy, needles, chances," and as a family and with the blessing of the Lord, we just focused on the next step. Since the day of the diagnosis, we experienced overwhelming support and love from our friends, our family and even complete strangers.

3.5 years went by, as expected; she lost her hair several times, her immune system was severely compromised on many occasions, and at least 3 times we were close to losing her. She put out with countless chemotherapies, radiotherapy, biological medications and needles, so many needles that I stopped counting, but the goal was reached in august of 2021; our doctor then told us she had completed her treatment and the next 3 years she would be monitored every 3 months and after reaching a five year mark that she will be cancer free.

The joy of saying goodbye to all the hospital stays, the time and money invested, rushing to a hospital, and simply restarting an everyday life was a treasure. For Ivonne and I, seeing her hair grow slowly and, to our surprise, seeing it curly (she had straight hair before) symbolized a present from God. The picture you see on this front page was her first trip ever; all she wanted to is to take a plane and go anywhere; thanks to our friends, we were able to take her to Atlanta for a "make a wish" trip, riding a horse was hear dream and boy she enjoyed that. It was closure and a celebration of a lifetime.

The reason for this fundraiser is related to what occurred 4 months ago; a day we came in contact with levels of fear, vulnerability, and helplessness I didn't know existed. After 11 months in a routine test leukemia cells were found in her nervous system. It didn't make sense; she was attending school, living an everyday life and catching up with everything she felt she missed.

To tell your kids that leukemia is back is one of the most challenging things we've ever done as parents, Lily cried a bit, and when I say I "bit", it was no more than 10 mins after that she said "I got this, I've gone through this before". Seeing her strength and sheer will of a now 9 year old was inspiring.

What's next? after seeing multiple doctors, it was clear that she needed a bone marrow transplant; such procedure is effective to a degree but also with a high level of danger. As I type I can't help to feel overwhelmed but assertive that this is the right path. Besides finding a donor and preparing Lily, we are looking at at least 1 month stay at the hospital; it's so counterintuitive that to be ok, she needs to go through a process that will risk her life. We are putting all our hearts, will and hope into this endeavor that with the blessing of our Lord will be the definitive step towards a healthy, rewarding life for our baby girl.

This campaign is to kindly and respectfully request support for the economic burden the steps mentioned above represent; we are reaching out with humility and full awareness of the nature of us reaching out again. We also especially ask for your prayers so that Lily's journey is eventually a history of a lifetime.

With Love

Lily and Family.