Leukemia: Josh's Story
By: Brady Kaucic and Mary Mamone
Case Study
Over the next few months Josh spent most of his time in the hospital. He received inthrathecal chemotherapy through spinal taps which placed anticancer drugs into the cerebrospinal fluid to prevent the spread of the cancer to his brain and spinal cord. Josh also was put on a moderate dosage of cyclophosphamide, which is injected into a vein in his arm for each treatment. The start of the chemotherapy was not easy for Josh, as he vomited after almost every treatment the first few weeks. In addition his eyes started getting very irritated and dry, and after his third week on the drug, Josh began to lose his hair. About two months into his treatment Josh received a stem cell transplant to help restore the ability for his bone marrow to produce blood. Finally after his long and hard battle, a year later Josh's ALL was determined to be in remission. He still had very frequent visits with Dr. Sarah to ensure that the cancer was gone, but Josh could finally be a kid again.
Normal Blood vs Josh's Blood
Josh in the hospital
Josh back on the soccer field
Works Cited
Kanwar, Vikramjit S. "Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ." Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. WebMD, 30 Sept. 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/990113-overview>.
Mayo Clinic Staff. "Leukemia." Definition. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/leukemia/basics/definition/con-20024914>.
"Treatment of Children with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia." Treatment of Children with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. American Cancer Society, 03 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/leukemiainchildren/overviewguide/childhood-leukemia-overview-treating-children-with-all>.