Diagnosed at birth with a rare leukemia, Eevie had a 17 percent chance of making it to age 2. Now 18 months old, she continues to defy the odds as she marks the same milestones as others her age.
Her parents, Brynne and Ryan, report that she is all smiles and is a very happy (and thankfully ornery) little girl. Eevie was assessed and dismissed from physical therapy as she is "right on track." She is walking around the house, trying to put on Mommie's shoes, and is saying multiple words. Eevie loves to make animal noises (mainly the tiger, her inspirational mascot) and growls often! She is a HUGE Minnie Mouse fan and enjoys hugging and kissing her Minnie as well dancing to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse songs.Her parents are optimistic about her prognosis.
“I feel like I'm the luckiest mom alive,” said Brynne. “All of the odds say she shouldn't be with us and she is. What a gift."
As far as her study protocol, Eevie is nearing the middle of the maintenance phase of her treatment for congenital acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She is currently taking low-dose IV, oral, and intrathecal chemotherapy. Eevie still struggles with swallowing and thus remains on her feeding tube. She is working with a speech therapist once a week. She enjoys licking KitKats and Pizza crust, but that's about it.
Though research on congenital ALL is extremely sparse, one study reports that by this time in treatment, very sadly, 27 of the 35 babies in the study had passed (van der Liden et al., 2009). If Eevie lives to age two, her odds of beating the disease increase to 85-90%. Her parents are often reminded that she is at high risk for relapse and multiple side effects of her treatments (e.g., secondary cancers, growth problems) but they choose instead to focus on her incredible progress and fierce spirit.
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