Elsa’s Leukemia: Diagnosis

For anyone who has made it to this page because of their interest in childhood leukemia, first of all, I’m sorry you are here. But in an effort to make this page more informative to people looking for leukemia information, here is the story of how Elsa was diagnosed:

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In the beginning of July 2011, Elsa started bruising. Her shins looked a mess, but we chalked it up to her being an exceptionally active, kamikaze-style, 17 month old. I looked at the other kids in her playgroup, noted that she was significantly more bruised than any other kid, but continued to tell myself that she was just a klutz.

On July 14th, I called the pediatrician to ask them about her bruises and they told us it was probably nothing, but we should get her blood checked. At this point, we had noticed some really large bruises on her hips and back, but I still wasn’t very worried. Nonetheless, I took some pictures – convinced that they would fade and the doctor wouldn’t believe me that she was so bruised.

I figured, maybe she had Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia, at worst (the perils of having a nurse for a mother). I even said to a number of friends, “I bet her blood tests will come back negative and this will all be chalked up to my being a negligent mother!”

Now for the part where the mom kicks herself. Friday, the 15th, we had Tots and Tunes at the library and then I had work. Then, I didn’t think to make a blood draw appointment over the weekend. Monday, the 18th, my mom babysat and so Marta and I took that opportunity to go wedding dress shopping. Tuesday, the 19th, we took a ride up to Woolman Hill (our wedding location) with Jesse and Sarah so that we could do some last-minute wedding planning. In retrospect, it was a beautiful last day of our old life.

All this time, in the back of my head, I was saying, “I have to make that appointment for Elsa’s bloodwork!”

Finally, on Wednesday, July 20th, I took Elsa to get her blood drawn – and she was a champ. Didn’t cry and happily chomped on a lollipop throughout the whole procedure.

From the lab, we went to meet a friend at the park. Elsa ran like a maniac all over the playground and splash pad. She probably fell 10 times and, each time, I resisted the overprotective mommy urge to sweep her into my arms. Each time, I looked, checked if she was OK from afar, watched her pick herself up and continue running with a smile on her face.

Her platelet count was 16,000 that day. A normal platelet count is 150,000 – 400,000. Platelets are the part of your blood that help you clot and prevent bleeding when you are injured. She definitely fell more than 10 times. Each time, I said, “She’s OK! She’s tough!” How she avoided internal bleeding that day is a total freaking miracle.

She was exhausted after the park, so I dried her off, put her in her car seat and went for a long drive. We drove to Collinsville and I bought a sun hat (another absurd item on my “to-do list”). I ran into the store, bought the hat while she slept in the car with the A/C running. I got back in the car and we set off for home. John called.

“George. Where are you?”
“I’m driving through Unionville. I just bought a great hat! It was a little expensive but . . . “
“George. You need to bring Elsa to Dr. Januzzi’s office. You need to bring her there right now. She’s really sick . . .”

That was it. That was the last thing I did. I bought a sun hat.