The Big C {31 for 21 - Friday's Facts}

Life is going pretty smoothly right now.  Sure, we have 3 under 4 so life is chaotic & messy, but chaos & mess I can handle.  My kids are healthy.  My husband is healthy.  We've settled into a semblance of a routine after those exhausting first few months with a newborn.  We have a roof over our heads & food in the fridge.  We are happy.  When life is good, I find myself waiting for the other shoe to drop.  And that shoe for me is leukemia.

Kids with Down syndrome have a tenfold to twentyfold increased risk of leukemia compared to kids without Down syndrome.  Some sources say the increased risk is as high as thirtyfold .  Why is this, you ask?  The answer almost certainly lies among the 231 extra genes they inherit with their extra copy of chromosome 21.  I'm no expert in the field of oncology, but I don't think an exact cause is known.  All I know is Reese's genetic makeup predisposes her to leukemia & it scares the dickens out of me.

I've read story after story about little ones with Ds who spend months & years fighting this disease.  I've read how harsh the treatment can be & how life altering it is.  I've seen pictures of little bald beauties hooked to IVs & it breaks my heart.

Thankfully, kids with Ds typically respond quite well to treatment, especially if they are diagnosed under the age of four.  They actually respond better to chemo than their typically developing peers & the answer again likely rests among those extra genes.  

That doesn't mean my heart doesn't skip a beat when I find an unexplained bruise on Reese's body.  I internally panic every time she seems a little fatigued or is just not acting herself.  I hold my breath for hours after her annual bloodwork is drawn until I hear the phrase "her CBC is fine" from her pediatrician. 

And her CBC is fine.  She had her blood drawn last week & her labs are normal.  To say I'm relieved is an understatement.  I'm so thankful for her health.  I'm also thankful for modern medicine & the advances in oncology that make it possible for kids with leukemia to get better.  You never know when we might be on the other side, when the proverbial shoe might drop.  Until then, we will celebrate her clean bill of health with chocolate shakes & oversized swings.