| Sky_2000 | 01-06-2011 04:45 PM |
Baby Molly (1 Month Year Old with Leukemia)
http://molly-campbell.com/w1/node/1 Quote:
With two days to go before Christmas, Rebekah Campbell was doing what most parents do: shopping for last minute stocking stuffers for her children. This was an exciting time for her, because Molly, her one month old baby, was about to have her first Christmas. Molly was born in Victoria November 23, 2010 and had been a happy, healthy baby. Rebekah had no idea the family's life was about to be turned upside down.
David, Rebekah's husband, called Rebekah to say Molly was running a fever and it was getting worse. Rebekah went straight home. By the time she got there, the fever was bad enough that Rebekah left their other children in the care of her David and rushed Molly to emergency. Molly's parents thought she might have the flu.
Like every trip to emergency, there was hours of waiting. Rebekah was tempted to take Molly home and give her some Tylenol, as she was concerned about how this was going to disrupt Christmas for her other four children who were waiting at home with their Dad. However, her motherly instincts kept her there all night with Molly. David went to the hospital as soon as a friend came to care for the other children. Before leaving for the hospital, David packed a single change of clothes for Molly and Rebekah, as they had been told Molly would hopefully be home for Christmas Eve.
Once Molly was examined by doctors and the test results came back, Rebekah and David's nightmare began. Shockingly, at only 28 days old, Molly had leukemia. Molly was diagnosed Christmas Eve with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells that was rapidly filling her body.
Molly's condition was so serious that Victoria General Hospital could not treat her. Unlike other cancers, this leukemia was fast moving and immediately threatened tiny Molly's life. Less than a day after happily shopping for Christmas presents, Rebekah, David and Molly were flown by emergency helicopter to B.C. Children's Hospital that afternoon.
Once there, doctors immediately began work on little Molly, and tested her bone marrow and spinal fluid to find out more about the type of leukemia that was growing. She needed multiple IVs to carry medicine and fluids. Because Molly's baby hands and arms are so tiny, doctors needed to perform emergency surgery to insert a tube directly into her chest for the IVs. Before the surgery, David and Rebekah held their tiny infant and said their goodbyes; the staff had told them how serious this was, and they knew they may never hold her little hands again.
Molly stabilized after surgery and the doctors started her on steroids, the first stage of a long and painful chemotherapy regime designed to try to eradicate the leukemia that filled Molly's body.
This being Christmas Day, Molly’s siblings Owen and Emma, six year old twins, Kate, four and Sara two, opened their presents in confusion about where their parents and little sister had gone. David tearfully told a friend he did not even know where they were in Vancouver, as they had been brought in by helicopter. David and Rebekah were so scared that every moment would be their last with Molly that they had not even been to the cafeteria in the hospital after living in Molly's room for two days; they were too afraid to leave Molly for even a few minutes.
Molly was one of the youngest leukemia patients they had ever seen at the hospital. Cure rates for leukemia have made huge advances in the past 20 years. However, Molly's leukemia has the genetic markers of a much more difficult leukemia to treat. This, along with her very young age, makes this an uphill battle.
When Molly's doctor met with David and Rebekah on Boxing Day, he told them that Molly will need to stay at B.C. Children's hospital for at least six months, and probably longer. They have now been told to expect a year in hospital. David or Rebekah must be in the room with Molly around the clock to help care for her.
For David and Rebekah, exhausted and still in shock that their new baby was close to death, this means hard choices for 2011. Since Molly has four siblings under the age of seven, David and Rebekah have been told their family size will make it difficult to stay at Ronald McDonald House or other family support facilities.
David has always worked for local financial institutions, and has supported his family on one income. The family has survived financially by being frugal and making smart money choices. They do not buy their children the newest and fanciest toys. Long ago, David and Rebekah made the decision that they were willing to live a modest life in exchange for the gift of a big happy family.
Although family and friends will be able to help shoulder some of the financial burden, Molly and her parents need your help. The costs will be staggering. The family will have to set up a residence in Vancouver for the coming months, and pay for the many trips back and forth to the mainland. It is unlikely that David will be able to work, as the four children still need full time childcare outside of the hospital where David or Rebekah need to stay with Molly.
A trust account has been set up by concerned friends. For just a moment, try to imagine the kind of Christmas the Campbell family has had, and the long and painful road ahead. No one can ease the pain of watching their new baby daughter fighting for her tiny life day after day. What we can do is help reduce the financial stresses that go along with this sort of family tragedy. Please, for just a moment, compare your Christmas with the one baby Molly and her family have had, and give a gift to those truly in need.
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