Liam is a kind-hearted, sweet and silly 3-year old boy. His smile can melt your heart in an instant. Like many kids his age, he loves Paw Patrol, Disney movies, trucks, cars and legos. Our lives were forever changed in May 2021 when Liam was diagnosed with Juvenile mylelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), a rare and aggressive blood cancer. Liam's only hope for survival was a bone marrow transplant. We found an amazing team of doctors, nurses and social workers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. They quickly came up with a plan to give Liam the best chance of beating JMML.Before the transplant, Liam had one cycle of chemotherapy to reduce the leukemia cells in his body. This is a newer treatment protocol for JMML but thankfully it worked very well for Liam and significantly reduced the cancer cells. The less cancer prior to a bone marrow transplant, the better the outcome. Fortunately, Liam experienced manageable side effects from this chemotherapy cycle. We were also fortunate to find an excellent match for his bone marrow through the donor bank. Liam's bone marrow transplant was an incredibly difficult journey for our family. The incredible team at MSK Kids got us all through it with their expertise, compassion and experience. A bone marrow transplant requires intensive chemotherapy to condition the body for new marrow. He experienced severe mucositis, causing incredibly painful sores in his mouth, throat and throughout his digestive tract. He required multiple blood and platelet transfusions. Liam spent close to six weeks in the hospital, unable to leave his room due to his severely weakened immune system. But in his 3-year old, innocent mind, it was also an opportunity to spend extra time with his parents who spoiled him throughout the entire journey. Liam is about four months post transplant and has come very far in his recovery. He grows stronger each day. His immune system is still weak and he has many limitations on who can visit with and where he can go. He has regular bloodwork, infusions and checkups. Although he is typically his happy, silly self, he suffered from nightmares and anxiety related to medical procedures. His post-transplant biopsy showed no evidence of disease. However, JMML has a 50% relapse rate. We try to see that as a 50% cure, but constantly worry what the next biopsy result might show. Pediatric cancer impacts the whole family. No child should have to fight for their life or experience the harsh side effects of treatment. Thank you for supporting Liam 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.
