Day 2 at the Hospital

Day 2 at the hospital

Olivia has received her first batch of blood transfusion a little past midnight. Also completed the first Bone Marrow Aspiration or BMA (taking sample of bone marrow fluid). At this stage, no need to get actual bone marrow sample. She definitely has a lot more color today than yesterday and more talkative.

She was able to walk around the hospital ward a few rounds after her bone marrow procedure. We received the bone marrow test results around noon, and it was a confirmation of what the doctor assumed she had when we got admitted (based on blood tests).Olivia has Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (A.L.L) - the most common type among children, and the highest curable rate. More tests to be done on friday to see if she is high risk or low risk. Will explain on friday what that means after the tests are done.

Overall she was in good spirits today, but she did have some irritable moments. Understandable - she's been here longer and been pricked a lot for blood tests. She had some good moments too, playing with her ipad, dolls, play-doh, making bracelets, getting her nails done by mommy! She received some goodies from the hospital which she loves! Today she also had an echo cardiogram done. Tonight she will receive her 2nd blood transfusion. Her hemoglobin count is still low after her first transfusion yesterday. Fever is still on and off but that's expected. She is taking antibiotics for the fever. Within the first week of chemo, we will start to notice her fever to go away.

The Diagnosis

It was a Tuesday morning, on October 28, 2014 when we got a call from our pediatrician regarding the bloodwork he had requested the day before. I got the call when I was at work and upon hearing the word "critical level", I already broke down. I tried as much to understand other things the pediatrician was saying, but only the word "critical" stuck on my mind. What does that mean? I called Mark who was at home taking care of Olivia to rush her to the hospital. Mark knew something's up but he remained calm. So calm that he didn't even bother telling me that they don't have a car (I brought the car with me to the train station - a 10 min drive from home). Luckily our neighboor was home and was able to drive them both down to the train station. As soon as we got to the hospital, doctors took more of her blood samples and then brought us to his office. Lola and Auntie was there too. "Based on initial bloodwork, your child might have leukemia". And just like that, in a blink of an eye, I knew our lives will not be the same anymore. We knew something was up, but none of us thought it would come to this. We were suspecting severe iron deficiency or anemia, and that a simple blood transfusion will help solve the problem. It was more than that. Second bloodwork results came and it confirmed that she does have leukemia. And so the journey begins...

People often ask what were the signs. How did we know to bring her to the hospital. Olivia started to get sick the beginning of October. I can still remember exactly how her teachers explained to me that she was not herself that day. She started getting on and off fevers for about 3 weeks. She was noticeably pale too. Now that I think about it, when I look back at her most recent pictures, you can tell she does look ill. I thought she was just losing weight since she's becoming more active and taller, and that she has lost some appetite from her getting sick. I cried looking at some of her not so recent pictures and saw how her cheeks were more chubby and how her face had more color. We have always seen Olivia as a strong girl who knows how to stand up for herself. And for this we know that she will beat leukemia. With prayers she will remain strong and with everyone's love and support, she will remain a fighter. Olivia is our fighter.