Support Aaliyah through her health journey

Hi! My name is Shawna. I’ve known Laken and Kile for 12 years now. Laken and I met while working at a Care Center in Winterset, IA together. Laken has been one of my best friends for over a decade now. I met their daughter, Aaliyah when she was just born in May of 2013. She’s been every bit of a niece to me as she’s grown to be a 10 year old now! Aaliyah is also very close with my 3 children, and a lot of my family. The Callahans’ have been like family to me and mine.

Laken told me that at the end of June, Aaliyah had noticed a bump on the back of her head and brought it to her and Kile’s attention. 2 weeks later, Aaliyah started getting frequent headaches. Laken took Aaliyah to a physician in Adel, and they referred her to her pediatrician. When they saw her pediatrician, they wanted to schedule a MRI of Aaliyah’s brain. A week goes by with no MRI scheduled, while the bump on Aaliyah’s head is getting bigger, headaches are persistent, and new symptoms are arising such as; dizziness, shortness of breath, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, nausea, and pain all over. Laken took Aaliyah to the ER where a CT scan of Aaliyah’s brain was completed. The CT scan showed a lesion on Aaliyah’s skull, and she was immediately referred to Blank Children's Oncology in Des Moines. They met with the Oncologist the next day, and then were referred to see a Pediatric Neurosurgeon in Iowa City at the Children’s hospital. A MRI was completed in Iowa City, which then confirmed that the lesion had grown bigger since the CT scan was done in the ER, and the lesion is also deteriorating the outer layer of Aaliyah’s skull. Surgery has been scheduled for September 7th in Iowa City to remove, and biopsy the lesion. Langerhans cell histiocytosis, or ( LCH) is suspected. LCH is a rare disorder in which the body makes too many dendritic cells. Dendritic cells are a form of white blood cells. These cells play a role in the body’s immune system. They can be found in the skin, lungs, stomach, bone, eyes and intestines. In LCH, dendritic cells build up, forming tumors and disrupting the normal function of tissues. LCH is a form of cancer and often, but not always, requires treatment with chemotherapy. LCH most commonly affects the skin and bones but can involve any organ in the body, including lymph nodes, lungs, liver, spleen, bone marrow or brain. Unfortunately, we won’t know any of this for certain until surgery, and the biopsy is completed.

In the mean time, Laken, Kile, and Aaliyah have already been to several appointments near and far from home, and now have a major surgery to get through, all while not knowing how long Aaliyah’s road to recovery will be, and so many unknowns as to what is going on with our sweet girl! Laken herself is also going to be having a hysterectomy surgery in the next couple of months due to her own medical issues. Please help me support this very special and deserving family that is incredibly close to my heart and so many others’. Laken and Kile at least know one thing, and that’s doing whatever they need to do to help their warrior, Aaliyah fight through this, and get healthy!! Aaliyah needs her parents more than ever, which is inevitably going to require Kile and Laken to be by her side (where they belong) and away from work. I hope that you will find it in your hearts to help Laken and Kile support their daughter through every step of her health journey. We will update you all on Aaliyah’s condition as we get more answers.

You can also donate through Laken’s Venmo, @Laken-Lovan. We appreciate any and all support!! Aaliyah is a fighter, and we’re going to make sure that with these donations she can fight with her Mom and Dad right by her side!! Please help get this beautiful little family happy and healthy!!