Harriet and her husband, Matthew (41), shared with the British daily The Sun the symptoms their child had leading up to his leukemia diagnosis. In the months leading up to his diagnosis, Vinnie began to show some changes. First, he lost his appetite, followed by changes in his sleeping patterns. Harriet said, "He used to always wake up at night, but for the past few months, he's been sleeping through the night without waking up. He barely ate, and his cold symptoms lasted for nearly three months."
Then, after noticing red spots on her skin, the couple took her to the hospital for a blood test, and Vinnie was diagnosed with leukemia in August 2023.
The doctor told her that her platelet count was far below normal and that 65% of her body's cells were leukemia. Vinnie immediately began chemotherapy. Last Christmas, she suffered a near-death experience after suffering anaphylactic shock from one of the drugs, but she has been undergoing maintenance chemotherapy since April of this year. Treatment is scheduled to end in October 2025. Harriet, reflecting on the Christmas she missed last year, is planning a happy and wonderful Christmas for her child this year.
Leukemia, a blood cancer that occurs when blood cells transform into cancer cells and proliferate
Leukemia is a blood cancer that occurs when normal blood cells in the bone marrow, the body's hematopoietic organ, transform into cancerous cells and proliferate for some reason. Leukemic cells proliferate indefinitely, interfering with the production of normal white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets, thereby reducing the number of normal blood cells.
The exact cause of leukemia is not yet known, but it is known that genetic predisposition, viral infection, smoking, exposure to electromagnetic fields and radiation, occupational exposure to chemicals, and drugs such as anticancer drugs may be contributing factors.
Patients with leukemia commonly experience anemia, bleeding, and infections due to a decrease in normal blood cells. A weakened immune system can lead to systemic symptoms such as fever, weakness, fatigue, and weight loss. Invasion of other organs can result in bone pain, enlarged gums, an enlarged liver, and an enlarged spleen. Invasion of the central nervous system can lead to nausea, vomiting, convulsions, and cranial nerve paralysis.
Blood cancers cannot be cured with surgery, and chemotherapy, which involves administering anticancer drugs, is the standard treatment. In cases of acute leukemia, like the child in the story, induction chemotherapy is administered first to kill leukemic cells in the bone marrow. After a period of recovery, a bone marrow biopsy is performed. If less than 5% of the leukemic cells are present and blood counts are normal, complete remission is considered.
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Leukemia isn't just something that affects children these days.
My aunt also suffered from acute leukemia.
You've worked hard
You still pay a lot of attention to your immune system.