This is my friend Rebekah. She's 8 and she was baptized the same day as Adam was. They have been in the same primary class for the past few years and are pretty good friends. She's a spunky little girl who's got a lot to say, a lot to ask and likes to smile.
2 short weeks ago, Rebekah was diagnosed with AML. Here's a bit about this diseases, that's rare in children.
"Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. In AML, the bone marrow makes many unformed cells called blasts. Blasts normally develop into white blood cells that fight infection. However, the blasts are abnormal in AML. They do not develop and cannot fight infections. The bone marrow may also make abnormal red blood cells and platelets. The number of abnormal cells (or leukemia cells) grows quickly. They crowd out the normal red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets the body needs. AML is the most common type of acute leukemia. More than 11,900 new cases occur in the United States each year, mostly in older adults. The average age of a person with AML is 65 years. Fewer than 10% of people with AML are children. "
It's a hard disease to find and even harder to fight. Rebekah is a fighter though.
If you have time this week to include her in your prayers, family discussions or thoughts, that would be wonderful. She's from a large family and has lots of love and support, but prayers are always needed. Hopefully she will be able to come home in between rounds of chemo, but that's still to be determined. Thanks everyone. I have the best friends and blog readers anywhere!
