Baby Jannik's Fight Against Cancer
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When we took our sweet 9 months old son Jannik Hans to the ER on Tuesday March 24, 2020, we were hoping to get treatment for his sinus congestion and early signs of dehydration. He had not been able to drink much or eat anything for a couple of days due to his stuffy nose that was due to rhinovirus/enterovirus (we were told), a virus causing symptoms consistent with the common cold. Instead we received very unexpected news. After a series of tests that snowballed he was diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) immediately.
Jannik turned out to have a very unstable blood balance, some examples include: White blood cell count was 475,000 (normal is around 10,000), hemoglobin was 4.5 (ideal is above 7 and normal close to 10), and potassium was 1.6 (normal is 3.5-5.0). For this reason he needed to have plasma-/leukophoresis for blood exchange which improved his numbers somewhat. The site for the phoresis was at his neck and leaked a little bit, with him moving too much this got worse. However, due to still insufficient clotting factors they couldn't take out the line so he was sedated more and put on a paralytic to avoid him further pulling on the line. He was also put on a ventilator as with all the fluid retention and being in the sedated state receiving the paralytic it was difficult for him to breathe and expand his lungs sufficiently. He ended up loosing 190ml of blood which is a lot for a small body like his and now needed to be replaced via a blood transfusion. After stabilizing him somewhat the line in his neck could be removed. He continues to have very thick blood which also puts him at risk for a blood clot including a stroke, but we were told the risk would continue to decrease with the amount of fluids he was receiving.
He started chemotherapy almost immediately after admission and it started to be successful, however after two days of treatment things started to become rocky with the side effects of the chemo treatment. His blood balance was off again and he continued to retain most of the fluid that was being given to him including IV, plasma, and whole blood. Now another risk was his organs collapsing due to the pressure from the fluid retention. For Jannik's safety doctors decided to pause the chemo treatment until they regulate the blood values to an acceptable level before they resume chemo. Also the decision was made to put him on dialysis to assist with regulating that blood balance and rid him of excessive fluids before returning to chemo.
Initially we, the parents, were not allowed to be there simultaneously due to COVID 19. Once Jannik reached the risky state of requiring dialysis those restrictions were finally lifted.
The treatment for his leukemia will be going on for an expected minimum of 5 months (4 treatment cycles that include each 30 days of hospital stays with 1 week breaks in-between) and we expect a lot of ups and downs. Especially initially with the rhino-enterovirus which has been making things more complicated. With our 3 year old daughter at home it will have to be one of us at home and one of us at the hospital. With the corona virus continuing, finding daycare for her is not quite an option. For this reason it won't be possible for either of us to go to work for several months so we can be supportive to both Jannik and Vreni. Additionally, paid leave is limited for mom, Svenja, and impossible for dad, René, who was laid off 6 months ago and is unlikely going to find employment anytime soon given the COVID 19 situation. Additionally, his unemployment will run out next month.
We are asking kindly to help us get by in order to cover our basic needs (e.g. mortgage, home, health and car insurances, gasoline, utilities, groceries) during this hardship and will be grateful for any little thing that may come our way.
The meaning of the name Jannik is "God is gracious" and we continue to believe in Him to protect our precious son who is known to be a very happy and pleasant little boy. We are trying our best to stay strong for him and our daughter Vreni Lea who loves him dearly.
May God bless your children and families!
Grateful parents,
Svenja Wassmann and Rene Michel Medina
Jannik turned out to have a very unstable blood balance, some examples include: White blood cell count was 475,000 (normal is around 10,000), hemoglobin was 4.5 (ideal is above 7 and normal close to 10), and potassium was 1.6 (normal is 3.5-5.0). For this reason he needed to have plasma-/leukophoresis for blood exchange which improved his numbers somewhat. The site for the phoresis was at his neck and leaked a little bit, with him moving too much this got worse. However, due to still insufficient clotting factors they couldn't take out the line so he was sedated more and put on a paralytic to avoid him further pulling on the line. He was also put on a ventilator as with all the fluid retention and being in the sedated state receiving the paralytic it was difficult for him to breathe and expand his lungs sufficiently. He ended up loosing 190ml of blood which is a lot for a small body like his and now needed to be replaced via a blood transfusion. After stabilizing him somewhat the line in his neck could be removed. He continues to have very thick blood which also puts him at risk for a blood clot including a stroke, but we were told the risk would continue to decrease with the amount of fluids he was receiving.
He started chemotherapy almost immediately after admission and it started to be successful, however after two days of treatment things started to become rocky with the side effects of the chemo treatment. His blood balance was off again and he continued to retain most of the fluid that was being given to him including IV, plasma, and whole blood. Now another risk was his organs collapsing due to the pressure from the fluid retention. For Jannik's safety doctors decided to pause the chemo treatment until they regulate the blood values to an acceptable level before they resume chemo. Also the decision was made to put him on dialysis to assist with regulating that blood balance and rid him of excessive fluids before returning to chemo.
Initially we, the parents, were not allowed to be there simultaneously due to COVID 19. Once Jannik reached the risky state of requiring dialysis those restrictions were finally lifted.
The treatment for his leukemia will be going on for an expected minimum of 5 months (4 treatment cycles that include each 30 days of hospital stays with 1 week breaks in-between) and we expect a lot of ups and downs. Especially initially with the rhino-enterovirus which has been making things more complicated. With our 3 year old daughter at home it will have to be one of us at home and one of us at the hospital. With the corona virus continuing, finding daycare for her is not quite an option. For this reason it won't be possible for either of us to go to work for several months so we can be supportive to both Jannik and Vreni. Additionally, paid leave is limited for mom, Svenja, and impossible for dad, René, who was laid off 6 months ago and is unlikely going to find employment anytime soon given the COVID 19 situation. Additionally, his unemployment will run out next month.
We are asking kindly to help us get by in order to cover our basic needs (e.g. mortgage, home, health and car insurances, gasoline, utilities, groceries) during this hardship and will be grateful for any little thing that may come our way.
The meaning of the name Jannik is "God is gracious" and we continue to believe in Him to protect our precious son who is known to be a very happy and pleasant little boy. We are trying our best to stay strong for him and our daughter Vreni Lea who loves him dearly.
May God bless your children and families!
Grateful parents,
Svenja Wassmann and Rene Michel Medina
Organizer
Rene Michel and Svenja Wassmann Medina
Organizer
Glendale, CA