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Richard Falco
www.falcophotography.com
Melissa was just 2½ years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia. For most of her young life, she has struggled against a terrible faith. The first medical intervention was to last two years. A combination of chemotherapy and medications put the cancer into remission. For a while, things looked brighter. Then came the relapse. Doctors were forced to use a more intensive treatment. In addition to the chemotherapy and medications, radiation treatments would be used. The battle began again. In the next two years, Melissa has been in the hospital twenty-five times—some visits requiring two weeks or more. Once again, the cancer went into remission.
She has made great strides. Her hair has grown in, and she is beginning again to step back into a normal lifestyle. In school, she looks like any other fourth grader. Home tutoring has helped her, but she has fallen behind. "She is a very brave little girl, but she is struggling a bit to keep up," says her teacher, Ms. Parisi. "Though she participates in the class's activities, she is quieter and more reserved than the other children. " The leukemia has deprived her of the innocence of childhood. The battle with death has created a level of maturity that is incomprehensible to her classmates. However, the integration will evolve as her health continues, and time passes.”
Now that there are fewer hospital visits and medical emergencies, there is more stability at home. The family, which includes two other children, can function more normally. The disease has emotionally marked every member. "You are always on edge," says Melissa's mother, Mary Ellen. "I've never been able to relax since the diagnosis. There have been to many emotional roller coasters." They have learned to live life one day at a time. For now, they hold to the hope that the worst is behind them. And nothing is more hopeful than watching Melissa smile and laugh.
Melissa Brown, now age 13, has stopped all treatment for her childhood leukemia. The disease is now in remission. She no longer gets chemotherapy. Her only visits to the doctor are for bi-yearly checkups and blood tests. She has fully integrated herself into school and is both, physically and socially very active. She wants to be a nurse when she graduates. |
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