Name: Anna
Diagnosis: Burkitt's Leukemia
Home state: Illinois
In December 2003, Anna was staying with her grandparents when she developed flu-like symptoms. After becoming very weak and unable to stand, her grandparents rushed her to an emergency room, and blood tests revealed leukemia. Soon, Anna and her family learned they would be traveling from their home state of Illinois to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®
Having worked in the medical field, Anna’s mother, Suzy, knew all too well how hospital costs can accumulate. “I would have sold everything so that Anna could get the treatment she needed,” Suzy said. But at St. Jude, families never pay for treatments that are not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. “It was a huge relief.”
Anna, who loves to watch “Dora the Explorer” and “Scooby-Doo,” underwent chemotherapy to combat the cancer. When she began treatment, 94 percent of the cells in her bone marrow were leukemia cells. Now there are no traces of leukemia in her marrow.
