Katie had just started Kindergarten and for her parents, Bob and Laurie, this was such an exciting time in their lives sending their first child to school. As we so often hear, your life can change in an instant and that’s exactly what happened to this family.

Katie, who had always been such an active and healthy child, was being sent home from school with low-grade fevers, which is quite typical for a child. Then her mother started noticing little bruises on her body. Since Katie was so active, Laurie assumed they were from the playground and they would go away. Ten the bruises became more prominent and appeared in places you wouldn’t normally get a bruise. She took her daughter to their pediatrician when he noticed her spleen was enlarged. They were immediately sent to St. Louis Children’s Hospital where she was quickly diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

To attack this cancer, aggressive chemotherapy was started along with spinal taps and bone marrow aspirations. Katie is now in the fourth stage of her treatment and is doing great. She only requires monthly blood checks that will continue for five years, and then she will be considered cured.

Katie is still a very active child and has such a vibrant personality; you would never know she has been through so much in her young life. She enjoys reading, art, sports, and playing with friends.