Olivia’s leukaemia battle
Donation protected
A parent’s worst nightmare came true for our dear friends & Family Myrka and Anthony Weir. Their 9 year old daughter, sweet little Olivia, was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) on Friday, September 11th 2020. CML is extremely rare in children Olivia’s age, occurring less than 1 in 1 Million cases.
Olivia first began to show symptoms while camping this summer. On several occasions Olivia’s feet or hands turned white while she was swimming or biking. Then it seemed she was getting bruised regularly and more severely than normal. Everyone assumed it was just her being a growing, active young girl. After yet another incident of her hands turning white, her parents got her in to see the doctor. The doctor felt it was most likely Raynaud’s disease and said that if it happened again, he would send Olivia for blood work. That didn’t sit well with her parents (maybe it was mother’s intuition) and they pushed to get the blood work done as quickly as possible. When they got the results her white blood counts were significantly higher than normal, and her platelet count was the highest they had ever seen. The doctor had her retested the following day, and by that evening, they received a call from the pediatrician that they were to go to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, NS within 24 hours.
They arrived on Tuesday September 8th, and over the next few days Olivia had numerous tests, ultrasounds, scans and a bone marrow biopsy. She was so brave and upbeat even though she was in pain and worried – and then the devastating news came back that she had Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. While the news was devastating to her parents, family and friends, everyone is filled with hope. Olivia has begun daily medications that will make her nauseous and uncomfortable. In addition, she will need weekly bloodwork, frequent trips to the IWK and regular bone marrow biopsies. But most of all she will need prayers and support. It’s so much for a child of any age to go through and such a stressful time for her and her family. Olivia is such a happy, active young girl, always smiling, playing hockey and doing competitive cheer. She is such a joy to be around and is such a dear friend to so many. Unfortunately, because of her suppressed immune system and risk of infection and bleeding, she will have to give up sports and miss a significant amount of school.
We would like to ask for your support to help with the expenses that her parents Will have to contend with in the weeks, months and years to come. While some of her medical expenses will be covered, the cost for travel, lodging, and time off work will be significant at a time when what Olivia really needs is for her parents to be able to focus on caring for her. No amount is too small to donate, and know that your prayers and support mean so much to Olivia and her family.
Olivia first began to show symptoms while camping this summer. On several occasions Olivia’s feet or hands turned white while she was swimming or biking. Then it seemed she was getting bruised regularly and more severely than normal. Everyone assumed it was just her being a growing, active young girl. After yet another incident of her hands turning white, her parents got her in to see the doctor. The doctor felt it was most likely Raynaud’s disease and said that if it happened again, he would send Olivia for blood work. That didn’t sit well with her parents (maybe it was mother’s intuition) and they pushed to get the blood work done as quickly as possible. When they got the results her white blood counts were significantly higher than normal, and her platelet count was the highest they had ever seen. The doctor had her retested the following day, and by that evening, they received a call from the pediatrician that they were to go to the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, NS within 24 hours.
They arrived on Tuesday September 8th, and over the next few days Olivia had numerous tests, ultrasounds, scans and a bone marrow biopsy. She was so brave and upbeat even though she was in pain and worried – and then the devastating news came back that she had Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. While the news was devastating to her parents, family and friends, everyone is filled with hope. Olivia has begun daily medications that will make her nauseous and uncomfortable. In addition, she will need weekly bloodwork, frequent trips to the IWK and regular bone marrow biopsies. But most of all she will need prayers and support. It’s so much for a child of any age to go through and such a stressful time for her and her family. Olivia is such a happy, active young girl, always smiling, playing hockey and doing competitive cheer. She is such a joy to be around and is such a dear friend to so many. Unfortunately, because of her suppressed immune system and risk of infection and bleeding, she will have to give up sports and miss a significant amount of school.
We would like to ask for your support to help with the expenses that her parents Will have to contend with in the weeks, months and years to come. While some of her medical expenses will be covered, the cost for travel, lodging, and time off work will be significant at a time when what Olivia really needs is for her parents to be able to focus on caring for her. No amount is too small to donate, and know that your prayers and support mean so much to Olivia and her family.
Fundraising team (3)
Nancy Dunfield
Organizer
Fredericton, NB
Myrka Weir
Beneficiary
Duane Dunfield
Team member
Nick Delisle
Team member
