River’s Fight Against Leukemia
River’s Fight Against Leukemia
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At only one week old, River’s family rushed the 40-minute drive to the Kootenay Lake Hospital Emergency Room and were almost immediately airlifted to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, over 600 km from their home in Robson, BC leaving behind her two-year-old son “I felt scared of the unknown. I had a 2-year-old son with autism I was leaving behind. He did not understand what was happening.”
While at BC Children’s Hospital, River was diagnosed with a rare leukemia called Transient Abnormal Myelopoiesis (TAMS), meaning an immediate and life-threatening crisis. The next day, River underwent surgery where they inserted a pic line and completed a bone marrow biopsy. She remained at BCCH for the next three months celebrating her first Christmas in the hospital and at three weeks old completed her first round of chemo followed by countless blood and platelet transfusions waiting for her counts to go up, all the while navigating the many bumps and health complications along the way.
The challenge of frequent future travel for River’s ongoing treatment was intimidating, but after hearing about Hope Air’s programs through the hospital staff, their fears were eased. Hope Air not only supported their trip home but would continue to support River’s travel for treatment.
Since their first trip, River has had to travel back to Vancouver every 6 months for treatment leaning on Hope Air’s support. “At first, we had no idea what her future was going to look like. We were going for bone marrow biopsies and blood work.” Now after 2 years, her most recent visit showed no signs of relapse, and their medical visits have been reduced to once a year. “It saved my child’s life. Hope Air provides a very important service for Canadian families. Thank you, Hope Air, for getting us to our appointments throughout the years.”
While at BC Children’s Hospital, River was diagnosed with a rare leukemia called Transient Abnormal Myelopoiesis (TAMS), meaning an immediate and life-threatening crisis. The next day, River underwent surgery where they inserted a pic line and completed a bone marrow biopsy. She remained at BCCH for the next three months celebrating her first Christmas in the hospital and at three weeks old completed her first round of chemo followed by countless blood and platelet transfusions waiting for her counts to go up, all the while navigating the many bumps and health complications along the way.
The challenge of frequent future travel for River’s ongoing treatment was intimidating, but after hearing about Hope Air’s programs through the hospital staff, their fears were eased. Hope Air not only supported their trip home but would continue to support River’s travel for treatment.
Since their first trip, River has had to travel back to Vancouver every 6 months for treatment leaning on Hope Air’s support. “At first, we had no idea what her future was going to look like. We were going for bone marrow biopsies and blood work.” Now after 2 years, her most recent visit showed no signs of relapse, and their medical visits have been reduced to once a year. “It saved my child’s life. Hope Air provides a very important service for Canadian families. Thank you, Hope Air, for getting us to our appointments throughout the years.”