In January 2018, after months of seeking answers and enduring worsening symptoms, I was finally diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The road to this diagnosis wasn’t easy ― it took three hospital transfers, three bone marrow biopsies, and the loss of my mobility before doctors could pinpoint the cause of my pain.
My name is Janaye, and I am the mother of Sofia, age 4. Her father's name is Gary. On September 1, 2023, Sofia was diagnosed with pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B-ALL). She was three. Today, I will share the story of her diagnosis and our journey thus far.
On November 8, 2023, our world changed forever when my husband Flavio was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). What began as a normal recovery from Achilles tendon surgery quickly spiraled into something far more serious. It started with comments about how pale his skin had become, a sign we now realize was the first red flag.
I was diagnosed in late February 2023 with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). I had 810,000 white blood cells that were all cancerous. I have made a recovery, but I’m still in the process of recovering. I’ve met amazing people along the way. I have around two years left of treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
Can you imagine being a single mom by circumstances out of her control, navigating uncontrollable circumstances, as her identical twins display remarkable fortitude in the face of cancer, diagnosed three years apart? Successful at a well-paying job that afforded her the ability to support the boys and four other siblings in grade school.
