In 2018, I was diagnosed with Leukemia at 3 years old. It was a long 2.5 year battle, but I fought and I won! 

In August 2022, I started having some symptoms that made me feel sick and yucky. I went to a lot of doctor appointments and finally in October, my oncologist figured out my cancer came back. I started treatment again and underwent a lot of chemotherapy and in patient hospital stays. Unfortunately, chemo wasn't working. My cancer came back again in February 2023 and I had to go to Cincinnati Children's for a new type of treatment called CarT. 

CarT therapy is an FDA approved treatment for refractory or multiple relapsed ALL. 10 years ago, it didn't exist. Due to pediatric cancer research funding like St. Baldricks, scientists were able to trial this therapy in the hopes it could save kids lives. My T cells were turned into super cells and trained to fight my cancer cells. They were sent to a special lab and then after a few short weeks, were infused back inside me to kill the cancer. I also am a participant in a nationwide research study called REFUEL where I received a second infusion to help keep my super T cells fighting! 

I am currently almost 3 years post transfusion and doing well! My oncologist in Cincinnati is a St. Baldricks research grant recipient and I am extremely thankful for him!