Danielle D. - Quilt Finished in 2006
Born: January 13, 2002
Illness: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
A Thank you from Danielle's Family!
Written July 28, 2006
Danielle LOVES her quilt!! It is an amazing work of art and I know a lot of love and hard work went into making it. Thank you so much... Danielle cannot wait to put it on her bed. Thank you so much for making my little girl so happy!!
Keli and Danielle
Danielle D.'s Story
written by mom Keli
Danielle was born on January 13th, 2002. She was our first child and the joy of our lives. She was perfect and the answer to all our prayers. Danielle had colic the first year of her life and she cried almost non-stop until she was close to 9 months. It was a long 9 months, but we got through it and Danielle continued to brighten our days and she added more love to our lives than we ever thought was possible.
We had no indication that anything was wrong with Danielle, other than she seemed pale to a number of people that came in contact with her. We thought she had fair skin like her grandmother and didn't think much of the comments we were hearing.
In October 2004, Danielle's pediatrician detected a heart murmur and referred her to a cardiologist to get an official diagnosis. The cardiologist performed some tests and determined that her heart was ok, but he did detect a bruit in her neck, which was causing excess blood to be pumped into Danielle's head. He referred us to a neurologist. The neurologist wanted to perform an MRI on her to determine the cause of the bruit, but was concerned that she may have anemia and wanted to be sure before her procedure was scheduled. She ordered a CBC and not an hour after Danielle's blood was drawn we were called and told to come back to the hospital as soon as possible because her blood counts were dangerously off.
November 1st, 2004, is a day we will never forget, it was a day that changed our lives forever. Our precious little girl was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, also known as ALL. I can still hear the words that the doctor said to us as if it happened yesterday. She was admitted immediately to Children’s Hospital where we stayed for a week. In that week Danielle underwent surgery, a bone marrow aspiration, a spinal, daily blood work and the start of chemotherapy. Danielle will be undergoing treatment for 25 months and has thankfully been responding very well. She has good days and bad days, but she has been so strong and resilient throughout her treatment.
Since November, Danielle has endured months of chemotherapy and she has been hospitalized twice since diagnosis for infection. Thankfully she was able to fight the infections and return to the comforts of home after a few days. She is expected to be off treatment on December 28, 2006.
Having a child with cancer has been a tough adjustment for the whole family. We feel like we are riding an emotional roller coaster and many times we feel tired, both emotionally and physically, we feel frustration at what this disease has done to our little girl and our lives and we feel overwhelmed with decisions that need to be made. We have also encountered a lot of love and support and have met so many wonderful people and for that we are thankful. We have learned to take the bad with the good and we have learned to appreciate each day, good and bad, as a gift. Life is not guaranteed to any of us and I think that is the most important lesson we have learned along our journey.
Danielle is a daily inspiration to her family, friends and all those who come into contact with her and we are so thankful for each day that we are given as a family. We look forward to the day when Danielle is cancer-free and the day when we can put cancer behind us, if that is possible.
Written by Danielle's mom on July 26, 2005
