In the middle of summer 2024, we began noticing that Charlotte was bruising easily, which was our first sign. Then, she started experiencing what we initially thought were growing pains. Friends and family reassured us that mild growing pains were common, but her discomfort gradually worsened, making it difficult for her to get out of bed in the mornings. She also had on-and-off fevers and significant night sweats.

One memorable incident was at a school function where a small scrape bled profusely, surprising even the school nurse. Her daytime napping increased significantly, going from two hours to nearly four, and she started asking to go to bed much earlier than usual. Finally, we noticed her complexion was noticeably pale.

All of these symptoms could have been attributed to various explanations. For instance, the fevers began when Adeline went back to school, so we thought she might have picked up a virus. The “growing pains” seemed typical for an active child.

Jesse has a family history of lymphoma (at the time we thought it was leukemia) so when we took her to the pediatrician, the nurse practitioner took our concerns seriously and ordered lab work, but since she had strep at that visit, we decided to wait until her antibiotics were finished since it can affect labs. That evening, however, I noticed a marked change in her condition. She was in distress, complaining of headaches, stomach aches, and leg pain, and had barely eaten all day. She had declined drastically in less than 8 hours.

Jesse and I agreed he should take her to the ER, and that decision led us down a path we could never have imagined. Charlotte was diagnosed with B-Cell ALL after a few days admitted at CHOA, and while we are grateful for the diagnosis, the journey has been incredibly tough.

She experiences significant pain daily and struggled with strong food cravings due to her medication. Isolation from her friends has been hard, and at just two years old, she didn’t fully understand what was happening.

During induction which was the first phase of chemo it was weeks since she had played with her toys, our dogs, or her friends. She lost her hair on thee back of her head, and her face and belly were so swollen. However, I cherished the small glimpses of her vibrant personality that shined through, reminding me of the joyful days we once had before cancer.

This experience has changed our entire family dynamic, impacting Adeline and Lainey as well. Adeline was so scared Charlotte was going to die. How do you explain that to a five year old?

Each day presents new challenges, and we’ve adapted to numerous safety measures to protect her health.