On November 8, 2023, our world changed forever when my husband Flavio was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). What began as a normal recovery from Achilles tendon surgery quickly spiraled into something far more serious. It started with comments about how pale his skin had become, a sign we now realize was the first red flag.
I was diagnosed in late February 2023 with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). I had 810,000 white blood cells that were all cancerous. I have made a recovery, but I’m still in the process of recovering. I’ve met amazing people along the way. I have around two years left of treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
Can you imagine being a single mom by circumstances out of her control, navigating uncontrollable circumstances, as her identical twins display remarkable fortitude in the face of cancer, diagnosed three years apart? Successful at a well-paying job that afforded her the ability to support the boys and four other siblings in grade school.
I am the mother of MaKayla. MaKayla found out on September 21, 2023, that she had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She was admitted to St. Francis Hospital in Greenwood, Indiana. During the next three and a half months, MaKayla underwent treatment and several procedures. I cannot begin to explain the faith and strength my daughter had during this process.
In July of 2017, our world was turned upside down. Our son, Larry Paul (LP), was experiencing back pain and was extremely tired. After multiple trips to doctors and ER visits over seven days, he was taken down to UMMC in Baltimore and diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). After a 28-day battle of fighting ferociously, he passed away.
