“Aileen is amazing—smart, funny, kind, creative and resilient,” says her mom, Haley.
But Haley and her husband, Sean, noticed one day that their 5-year-old hadn’t been her usual sassy self. When a friend’s child was diagnosed with leukemia, they compared her symptoms. Days later, their worst fears were confirmed at the pediatrician’s office when they were told, “Go right to Boston Children’s.”
In the blink of an eye, the family’s world turned upside down. That cold January night, Aileen was admitted to the hospital with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive, fast-spreading cancer of the blood and bone marrow that is rare in children.
Further tests revealed she would need two rounds of chemotherapy and then a stem cell transplant to survive.
Aileen as a Boston Children's patient, holding her new brother, Paddy.
Support for Aileen—and her family
February 2020 was a stressful time. The COVID-19 pandemic had just begun and Haley was four months pregnant with her third child. But inside the hospital, doctors and nurses stayed focused on Aileen’s care and supported the family.
The nursing staff “would help Aileen build forts, host tea parties, and engage with whatever idea she had come up with,” says Haley. “They looked after me and Sean, too. They always made sure we had what we needed; we never had to ask.”
Aileen’s first round of chemo was tough; she got an infection in her hip and couldn’t walk. She lost her appetite and her hair fell out in clumps. Round 2 was better and Aileen was well enough to go home for a few weeks and meet her newborn baby brother. But there was one more hurdle ahead: her stem cell transplant.
We feel so lucky to live so close to Boston Children’s. They match their expertise in cancer with a true understanding of the little things that kids need to thrive.
Haley, Aileen's mom
The best news
Because no family member was a match, Aileen needed stem cells from a donor to replace her own. A registry helped find a 26-year-old donor from California. The cells Aileen received began to form healthy new blood cells. Slowly, Aileen’s energy returned and the family got the best news: she could go home. Hospital staff lined the halls and sent the family off with a bubble parade set to “This is My Fight Song.”
After seven months, Aileen was cancer-free and back to her sassy self! She was thrilled to be home riding bikes, playing with her younger brothers and swimming in the ocean.
“We feel so lucky to live so close to Boston Children’s,” Haley says. “They match their expertise in cancer with a true understanding of the little things that kids need to thrive.”
