This holiday season, Amalia and her family’s lives were derailed after a rare medical condition appeared. This journey began when a large lump on her neck appeared just two days after Christmas. The process of simply getting to the bottom of her diagnosis has been quite the rollercoaster. After what felt like an endless waiting game involving immense fear, anxiety, and even a sprinkle of false hope, it was finally determined that she has ALCL, otherwise known as Anaplastic Large-Cell Lymphoma, an extremely rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin T-cell lymphoma.

Amalia has been incredibly tough through all of this, even with multiple procedures, hospital transfers, and the cancellation of the rest of her school year. As you can imagine, this situation has been extremely hard on her family as well. Her little sister/sidekick is not allowed visitation access to her room, and this is by far the longest amount of time they have ever had to spend apart. After her transfer to a specialty hospital, distance has also become a challenge for the family.

Thankfully, work has been accommodating for everyone. However, as we all know, bills do not stop during times like these, nor does Amalia’s endless desire for Doritos and M&M’s. If you have made it this far, I truly appreciate you hanging in there. Even though we now have a diagnosis and treatment plan in place, there is still a long way to go. Many more procedures, treatments, and hospitalizations may take place over the course of potentially years. If you find yourself in a position to help, even if it’s as simple as sharing this, I know the family will be forever thankful. Nothing is expected, but everything will be greatly appreciated.