Kalea was 6 years old when she was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of leukemia called mixed phenotype leukemia. She is a beautiful and vibrant little girl who is fighting for her life.
Her parents were living anyone’s worst fear, and her family’s lives have been shaken. She needed a stem cell or marrow transplant but didn’t have a match due to her diverse tissue type. She is half Filipino and half Caucasian, and her lifesaver will most likely share the same background. After 4 long years of searching for a donor, Kalea had a transplant in August 2021. This message is from her mom:
“How do you say thank you to a stranger that gave your child their literal life’s blood? I do not know. How do you say thank you to the nurses, doctors, clerks, Child Life Specialists, Psychologists, PTs, OTs, Pharmacists, Social Workers, House Keepers, Dietitians, Radiation Specialists, EMTs, all the techs in each department, and hundreds of unseen people helping to keep your child alive. I do not know. How do you say thank you to all of your family and friends who have wrapped your entire family in support and love in every way imaginable? I do not know. How do you say thank you to a 12-year-old whose giant heart coordinated and made the majority of 1000 paper cranes so Kalea could make a wish? I do not know.” “Overall, she is right where her BMT team expects her to be. Thank you all again for supporting her and our whole family.
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