Alyssa Miller
7th July 2011 - Today we had the privilege to visit a wonderful family in St Helens Park - the Millers. Baby Alyssa (on right in photo) was diagnosed with Leukemia at the age of 10 months. In further disappointing news, Channel 9 reported that funds raised last year for Alyssa and the family had gone missing, and an unrelated woman had been arrested.
Whilst we did not arrange the initial fundraiser, The Children's Hope Foundation made an immediate decision to assist, and along with other people in our community, the missing funds have been restored. We called at their house today to put some smiles back on their faces, with a cheque for $5,000. Channel 9 recorded the event and we will publish more clips as they come to hand. Thank you Channel 9 & Macarthur Chronicle for bringing the family's plight to everyone's attention.
Whilst we did not arrange the initial fundraiser, The Children's Hope Foundation made an immediate decision to assist, and along with other people in our community, the missing funds have been restored. We called at their house today to put some smiles back on their faces, with a cheque for $5,000. Channel 9 recorded the event and we will publish more clips as they come to hand. Thank you Channel 9 & Macarthur Chronicle for bringing the family's plight to everyone's attention.
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In Their Words ...
Whilst it's nice to be able to help, the reality of Alyssa's condition continues. So, take a moment to read Alyssa's story as told by her parents, Scott & Amanda:
The initial symptom was as little as a high temperature that lasted several days before a rash appeared on her ankle, less than 12 hours after taking her to Campbelltown hospital Alyssa had a central line inserted, commenced chemotherapy treatment at the Sydney Children’s Hospital and we were told that she had a 40-50% of surviving the condition.
Unfortunately, after 8 months of chemotherapy, the treatment was not having the desired effect, so a bone marrow transplant was the only option. The bone marrow transplant required us to be in Medical isolation with Alyssa for around 4 months, during this time our only contact with our 4 year old daughter, Madeleine, was through Skype and telephone calls.
Alyssa's Transplant was not without its complications, she picked up many infections a few being life threatening which meant Alyssa had a bed on stand-by for her in intensive care and even had surgery to have her lungs flushed.
Alyssa is currently in remission and we pray every day that the worst is behind us. Alyssa’s immune system will remain suppressed for around another 12 months and she still takes oral medication several times a week and will do so for many years to come. Although 5 years post-transplant will be a huge milestone, she will still be required to have annual tests for most of her life.
Some of the future problems Alyssa may face as a result of her treatment include fertility issues, Kidney damage, cataract problems and learning difficulties, just to name a few, so we still have a long way to go, but with the support of family, friends, our local community and the staff at the Sydney Children’s hospital we know we are not on this journey alone.
The initial symptom was as little as a high temperature that lasted several days before a rash appeared on her ankle, less than 12 hours after taking her to Campbelltown hospital Alyssa had a central line inserted, commenced chemotherapy treatment at the Sydney Children’s Hospital and we were told that she had a 40-50% of surviving the condition.
Unfortunately, after 8 months of chemotherapy, the treatment was not having the desired effect, so a bone marrow transplant was the only option. The bone marrow transplant required us to be in Medical isolation with Alyssa for around 4 months, during this time our only contact with our 4 year old daughter, Madeleine, was through Skype and telephone calls.
Alyssa's Transplant was not without its complications, she picked up many infections a few being life threatening which meant Alyssa had a bed on stand-by for her in intensive care and even had surgery to have her lungs flushed.
Alyssa is currently in remission and we pray every day that the worst is behind us. Alyssa’s immune system will remain suppressed for around another 12 months and she still takes oral medication several times a week and will do so for many years to come. Although 5 years post-transplant will be a huge milestone, she will still be required to have annual tests for most of her life.
Some of the future problems Alyssa may face as a result of her treatment include fertility issues, Kidney damage, cataract problems and learning difficulties, just to name a few, so we still have a long way to go, but with the support of family, friends, our local community and the staff at the Sydney Children’s hospital we know we are not on this journey alone.
