Mandy was diagnosed with high risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 15 years old. She is a survivor, and a mom to two healthy kids of her own.
What’s one thing you wish you had known in those first 48 hours?
“In our case, I wish I would have known (besides that she was going to be fine) more details about how the housing worked. We lived 2 hours away from Stanford and needed to stay there for the first month.”
What helped you the most in those first 48 hours?
“My faith in God, Mandy’s pediatrician and the TLC of the oncology staff and especially her child life specialist.”
What is one moment in those first 48 hours that you’ll never forget?
“They were prepping her to do a bone marrow and blood check and one of the nurses mentioned chemotherapy out loud- asking a question about it. She had not been told yet that she had leukemia and as soon as the nurse said it Mandy looked at me with absolute fear in her eyes and said ‘Chemotherapy? Do I have cancer?’ It was horrible.”
If you could go back, what’s one thing you’d tell yourself?
“This is going to be hard, but there is good that comes out of this two year journey that you will see and be grateful for.”
This First 48 story was submitted by Theresa.