Acute lymphocyctic leukemia

I was five and a half years old and in kindergarten when I was first diagnosed with acute lymphocyctic leukemia. For the next two and a half years Children's in Birmingham became a home away from home. I love Dr. Castleberry and all the nurses and staff members there. I am now 17 years old and a senior in high school. I love to dance --tap, jazz, and lyrical, but my favorite is pointe. I have been taking since I was three years old except for two years when I was too sick to take it. I even teach a class for little children. I'm involved in my church youth group and go on mission trips in the summer. I still love to go for my yearly check-up so that I can see all the doctors and nurses. When I was sick it was very scary, but the people at Children's were so wonderful and not only cured me but made it as fun as possible for me and as pleasant as possible for my mom, dad and little sister! I am so amazed at how treatment has changed over the years. I had to go in a stay for several days for treatment now children can get treatment as one day out patients.

Children's means so much to me because without it I might not even be alive today or at best would have had to travel far away for treatment. I know this would have made my mom and dad really upset because I have a younger sister who at the time was two and a half. I was so touched and/or affected by having cancer and going to Children's in Birmingham that I'm planning on going into pre-med next year.