Honored Kid

Elizabeth F.

Age 13
Elizabeth F. Kid Photo

Location

Frisco, TX, US

Diagnosis

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

Date of Diagnosis

November 2015

Status

In treatment

Treated At

Children's Medical Center of Dallas

Change your kid's logo

My Story

Elizabeth's story begins in July 2015, when she began developing swollen lymph nodes under her chin. After an initial treatment of antibiotics proved ineffective, she underwent a biopsy. The results of the biopsy and other TB tests, prompted doctors to keep Elizabeth isolated for a week at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. During this time she was diagnosed with Active Tuberculosis and put on a 6 month treatment plan. The treatment plan involved our county Health Department and consisted of 4 TB medicines. For the next several months, life was back to normal. Elizabeth had grown accustomed to her daily TB regime. She also had started preschool during this time.   Towards the beginning of November, Elizabeth began to complain about pain in her feet. She slowly went from limping to not walking at all. Thinking that it might be related to the TB medicine she was taking, the Infectious Disease doctors ordered more blood tests. On November 28, 2015 we went to the hospital to have Elizabeth's uric acid levels tested. The results of her blood tests taken that day turned out to be drastically different than at any other time. We soon found ourselves talking to doctors from the hospital's Oncology department. That evening we were given the news that Elizabeth was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Needless to say we were blind sided and devastated by the news. The realization that our lives would be forever changed was surreal and numbing. The fear of the unknown was very real in that moment. Slowly we began to process and understand this disease and it's treatment. The next couple of days were a whirlwind of information, decisions, procedures, and medications. Elizabeth started her Induction chemotherapy immediately after diagnosis. A couple of weeks later we learned that Elizabeth also has a condition called iAMP21, which puts her in the high risk category. We are now a couple of weeks into her Induction therapy. Elizabeth continues to be the girl she was before her diagnosis, full of life and happiness. Though there are times we can see her body is tired and worn down by the therapy, she continues to press on. We continue to be amazed by her. We are thankful for the tremendous amount of support we have received from our family and friends.   Thank you for supporting Elizabeth and the more than 300,000 kids worldwide who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. By sharing the gifts of your time, talent and money with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, you're supporting research to give all kids with cancer a better chance for a cure. ~~~~~~~~~La historia de Elizabeth comienza en Julio de 2015, cuando ella comenzó a desarrollar inflamación de los ganglios linfáticos bajo su barbilla. Tras un tratamiento inicial de antibióticos resultaron ineficaces, se le realizó una biopsia. Despues de la biopsia y otras pruebas para la tuberculosis, los médicos decidieron mantener Elizabeth aislado durante una semana en el Children's Medical Center en Dallas. Durante este tiempo ella fue diagnosticado con tuberculosis activa y puesto en un plan de tratamiento de 6 meses. El plan de tratamiento involucró nuestro Departamento de Salud del condado y consistió de 4 TB de medicamentos. Durante los próximos meses, la vida volvió a la normalidad. Elizabeth se había acostumbrado a su régimen diario de TB. Ella también había comenzado el preescolar durante este tiempo. A principios de Noviembre, Elizabeth comenzó a quejarse de dolor en sus pies. Ella poco a poco iba desde la cojera de no caminar en absoluto. Pensando que podría estar relacionada con la medicina de tuberculosis, los médicos de enfermeded infecciosa ordenaron más exámenes de sangre. El 28 de Noviembre de 2015 fuimos al hospital con Elizabeth para comprobar los niveles de ácido úrico. Los resultados de sus pruebas de sangre tomadas ese día resultó ser drásticamente diferente que en cualquier otro momento. Pronto nos encontramos hablando con los médicos del departamento de Oncología del hospital. Esa noche nos dieron la noticia de que Elizabeth fue diagnosticado con leucemia linfoblástica aguda. Huelga decir que estábamos sorprendidos y devastados por la noticia. La conciencia de que nuestras vidas serían cambiados para siempre fue surrealista. El miedo a lo desconocido fue muy real en ese momento. Lentamente comenzamos a procesar y entender esta enfermedad y su tratamiento. Los próximos días fueron un torbellino de información, decisiones, procedimientos y medicamentos. Elizabeth comenzó su quimioterapia de inducción inmediatamente después del diagnóstico. Un par de semanas más tarde nos enteramos de que Elizabeth también tiene una condición llamada iAMP21, lo que la pone en la categoría de alto riesgo. Ahora somos un par de semanas en su terapia de inducción. Elizabeth sigue siendo la nina que era antes de su diagnóstico, lleno de vida y felicidad. Aunque hay veces que podemos ver su cuerpo está cansado y desgastado por la terapia, ella sigue presionando. Seguimos asombrados por ella. Estamos agradecidos por el enorme apoyo que hemos recibido de nuestra familia y amigos. Gracias por apoyar a Elizabeth y a más de 300,000 niños en todo el mundo que serán diagnosticadas con cáncer este año. Al compartir los dones de su tiempo, talento y dinero con el San Baldrick's Foundation, estás apoyando la investigación para dar a todos los niños con cáncer una mejor oportunidad para una cura.                  

The Childhood Cancer Ripple Effect

Help Give Kids a Lifetime

Infants, children, teens and young adults are depending on us to find cures for childhood cancers — and to give survivors long and healthy lives.

Support lifesaving childhood cancer research today.

Photo submission policy

Please read the photo submission policy and accept below.

By submitting a photograph of yourself on www.StBaldricks.org, you agree to the following terms and conditions for submission of your photograph:

We strongly encourage all users to submit a before and after photo, so that donors and fellow participants can easily recognize and relate to one another.

Any photo containing cartoons, comics, celebrities, nudity, pornography, sexually explicit images or any copyrighted image (unless you own the copyright) is not permitted. This is because photos of celebrities and cartoon or comic images are generally copyrighted by the owner.

Uploading images of other people without their permission is also prohibited.

This photo submission policy applies to StBaldricks.org users. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation reserves the right to review all photos and to remove any photo for any reason at our sole discretion. If you see a photo on StBaldricks.org that you believe does not conform to this policy, email to WebQuestions@StBaldricks.org