Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

The doctor said Acute Lympho-what?? – What is ALL?

I have ALL, which stands for “Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. That means that some of
the cells of my blood (white blood cells) and the cells that make those white blood cells
(bone marrow), got a little bit confused. White blood cells are the fighter cells in my
body, so when they get confused, they don’t
do very well in battle. That means I can get
sick more easily, and may feel tired or less
hungry. You have fighter cells too, but they
work properly, so you can fight off sickness
like coughs and sneezes. You may need to be
more careful around me, and wash your
hands more often, since my fighter cells aren’t ready for battle.

Why me? – Risk Factors

Doctors aren’t completely sure why some kids get ALL, but it definitely wasn’t my fault.
There are some things that may have put me at a higher risk of getting this disease,
such as having family members that had it, or living in certain areas. It isn’t contagious
though, so don’t have to worry about catching ALL from me!

What changes should you expect? – Clinical Manifestations

ALL affects my body in a few ways, so you may notice some
changes. I may look pale, feel tired, eat less, and have more
bumps and bruises on my body.
When I get medicine for ALL, I may be absent from school
since the medication may make me really tired or throw up
a lot. I also may lose my hair from the treatment, but it
should grow back once I’m feeling better.

How will they fix me? – Treatment

The medication the doctors give me is called chemotherapy. It is
special medicine that kills all the confused fighter cells so that I can
start to make better soldiers!