Meet Natalia. A little happy girl from a small town near Guelph.
Just one day after her first birthday Natalia was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with aggressive blood cancer - AML leukemia. Her first day in McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton involved spinal tap surgery and blood and platelets transfusion which turned out to be one of many she had to face. The Hickman line was inserted through her chest into a vein above the heart to administer all medications and chemotherapy and stayed there for ten months.
Natalia begins her long battle to recovery by starting her first chemotherapy treatment in early November 2021 accompanied by multiple side effects- rashes, vomiting, high fever, nausea, severe pain, difficulty eating, and more. After her first cycle of chemotherapy and her recovery from it she received some good news in late December- her response to therapy was working and extensive DNA testing results showed no predisposition to cancer. With a better prognosis, Natalia and her family buckled up and completed the second, third, fourth and fifth chemotherapy treatments. Each involved 7-10 days of chemotherapy followed by 5-6 weeks of recovery time with multiple side effects, medications, tests, surgeries, blood and platelets transfusions and involving a whole team of doctors, nurses, social workers, dietitians, physiotherapists and different hospital workers to help during her sickness. Natalia’s mom or dad would always stay with her in the hospital switching every day or two and her brother Luka was visited frequently to support his little’s sister in the most difficult fight of her life. The whole journey lasted 7 long months of hospitalization being admitted on November 02 , 2021 to discharge on May 30 , 2022 . Natalia took her first step, said her first word and spent Christmas in the hospital. Multiple hospital staff workers and other patients became her friends and recognize her for exceptional endurance, happiness and desire to overcome her AML leukemia. After discharge from the hospital, Natalia regularly follows up with her Paediatric Oncologist at McMaster Children’s Hospital for her progress and to monitor possible long-lasting side effects from multiple chemotherapy treatments.
Today Natalia is in remission and enjoys playing with her brother, being with her family and exploring the World. This little town girl has a big plan to travel next year across the Atlantic Ocean to Poland to meet her great-grandmother for the first time. That dream wouldn’t be achievable for her family in the current financial situation since her parents had to stay off work for nearly 8 months.
We thank the Wish Fund for Children for making Natalia’s dream come true, we appreciate your donations and support.
- Natalia's Mom & Dad
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