Eliana's Story - The Fight To Save Her

03/16/2026

This girl continues to amaze me. She pushed her step thing over to the tv to watch Toy Story (she LOVES Woody) yesterday. She also started standing up in her own, then today took two steps!!!!! That’s huge - the only time she did that was last November once, and she certainly has not had the equilibrium in the past 3 months to stand, much less walk. I'm trying SO hard not to take this all as signs that the treatment is working, because I don't think I'm strong enough to be blindsided again if it isn't and this is just a fluke. But she is doing so well, its hard not to hope. Especially with her doing so well the past month.

I had a meeting with Oncology on Friday and they are surprised by how well she is doing on the medication. She has had no skin problems (though I am diligent with the daily bleach-baths and the lotion all over her, to try to prevent problems), and no fevers or anything else that is so common. Keep praying for her miracle. Please. This is her only shot at one, and it just HAS to work. I could not bear to lose her, I know that. And Talia needs me, and her sister, so we really really need that miracle.

03/14/2026

This little girl doesn’t have leukemia!! Yay, some good news. She likely still has pneumonia and that’s is causing the blood results we’re seeing. She’s been tolerating the meds so well and is happy. The weight is still a problem and they are trying to accelerate her referral to endocrinology for that. I am thankful for the moments we have right now, with few symptoms. I pray the treatment is working but just have to wait and see what the next MRI says. I hate waiting- it’s so strange as I want time to go fast to find that out, but want time to stop forever right here, where she is doing well. Ugh.

03/10/2026

Please consider supporting our family as we spend Eliana's incredible milestone 2nd birthday (which I never thought she'd reach, just a couple of months ago) paying it forward by participating in the Run for Rural Medicine, a charity event to raise funds for the charity Hope Air, who helps families like ours by providing travel to BCCH. All 4 kids and I are participating!

UBC's Run for Rural Medicine is intended to raise funds for Hope Air, Canada's only charity dedicated to helping patients like Eliana travel to receive the specialized medical care they need.   The even occurs on Eliana's 2nd birthday - a milestone that, just a couple of months ago, I did not thin...

03/10/2026

With so much time at home, I built her a swing set. Think she likes it?? Anything that brings this girl some joy, I’m all-in. ❤️

03/04/2026

Eliana's abdominal ultrasound was clear. I've spoken with Oncology, and now we wait for her next blood test in a week or so to know the next steps. The tests that were indicating Leukemia went up a LOT between Feb 4th and 8th, so we are hoping that was just due to her fighting something that we weren't aware of (she wasn't outwardly sick). We will know for sure when these next tests come back, but at least the ultrasound was clear.

In the meantime, she continues to do SO WELL!! We've been hospital-free for 24 days now - YAY! She has very little balance, but the physiotherapist says the lack of balance from her large abdomen is actually worse than the lack of balance from the tumor. She's had no other symptoms (other than the constant sweating and weight gain). Sometimes, I can almost forget what the truth is. I am hoping to get her into daycare for a morning or 2 a week soon, if possible, as she needs to be around other kids more, and more stimulation than I can give her day after day at home. We'll see...

02/28/2026

Made it to our last hockey game of the season last night. She and the other kids had so much fun! I had to dispense her cancer meds just before the game started because they have to be given at certain times no matter what. I was worried about that but it went okay. Still delivering on my commitment to normal’ for the kids. Well, most days anyway.

Talia and I have been struggling still. Just because Eliana has been doing well for 3 weeks doesn’t make this go away. We still know the reality that we are facing, and it is HARD to live with that. And I struggle with the decision to return to work or not. I don’t want to exhaust my leave now and have none later whenever she needs me home. But because Eliana has so many appointments every month, and trips to BCCH every 3 months, and could become like a newborn at any moment and be unable to go to daycare , it’s possible that I would have no leave available when I need it if I returned to work. It’s an impossible choice. But I can’t afford to be on leave much longer. Ugh. Rock, hard place, me.

02/24/2026

Eliana has an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow morning. They are checking for any mass in her abdomen, and/or lymph node involvement. Please pray/wish/hope etc for clean scans. And that my little mini-me 2.0 is agreeable and LETS them do the scan!! She can be a tough one....

02/21/2026

Amen

If you haven’t ever
held your child in your arms
while machines breathed for them,
counting seconds between each rise of their chest
like prayers you were afraid to finish,

I hope you know how lucky you are.

If you haven’t ever
whispered between sobs bargains to God
in a hospital room at 3 a.m.,
promising everything you are
for just one more heartbeat,

I hope you know how lucky you are.

If you haven’t ever
curled your body around theirs
in a narrow hospital bed,
careful of wires,
afraid to sleep
in case their numbers changed,

I hope you know how lucky you are.

If you haven’t ever
stared at a ventilator
like it was both savior and thief,
hating the sound
yet fearing the silence more,

I hope you know how lucky you are.

If you haven’t ever
held your child down for labs,
apologizing while they cried,
letting them believe
you were part of the pain
because it was the only way to help,

I hope you know how lucky you are.

If you haven’t ever
measured time in test results
instead of sunsets,

I hope you know how lucky you are.

If you haven’t ever
celebrated things
other parents barely notice,
a stable oxygen level,
a fever that finally broke,
a discharge paper in your shaking hands,

I hope you know how lucky you are.

Because normal parenting
is loud and messy and exhausting,
but it is sacred in its ordinary.

Bedtime battles.
Untouched vegetables.
Shoes on the wrong feet.
Toys on the floor.
A child calling “Mom” or “Dad”
for the hundredth time.

These are miracles
disguised as inconveniences.

So if you haven’t ever
begged the heavens
to let your child live,

hold them a little longer tonight.

If you haven’t ever
slept beside hospital rails,

be grateful for your crowded bed.

If you haven’t ever
feared a machine going quiet,

listen closely to their laughter.

And please,
don’t take the normal for granted.

Because for some of us,
normal was once a prayer
we weren’t sure would be answered.

-sawyer the warrior

02/21/2026

Happy Friday everyone! Eliana had an exam today of her ever growing abdomen, which has never been looked at. In light of her skyrocketing white count on her last blood test, the Dr ordered an ultrasound to check lymph nodes and for any mass, just to be safe. He is hoping it can be done here and not involve another trip to Vancouver.

I only wish that kind of diligence existed with all the doctors involved 10 months ago when symptoms started really showing. I still struggle with that…

02/18/2026

Eliana has been doing well, overall anyway. The diarrhea still comes at least one day a week, and the sweating and weight gain (now 33lbs) continue. I found out that no one has examined or imaged her abdomen, which is now 23", so that scared the daylights out of me. She is scheduled to have that examined next Monday now.

She has her words, which is so awesome for her. Her balance and head-tilt come and go, but haven't been bad the past few days. She takes her cancer meds SO well, I can't believe it. The fasting for 3 hours 2x a day is hard - for everyone really, as no one can eat around her when she has to fast, but mostly for her as she's so hungry all the time. Through it all though, she is my happy big personality girl still most of the time.

02/14/2026

Her weight gain and sweating are seriously out of control. The difference in 8 weeks is stunning.

02/12/2026

2 months. 2 months of fear, holding breath, and tears. LOTS of tears. 2 months of laughing and loving through it. 21 days in hospital, 4 trips to BCCH, 4 times under anesthetic, 3 CT scans, 4 x-rays, DOZENS of needle pokes/foot cuts/IV's, an 8 hour brain surgery, countless days of tumor symptoms coming and going to play with your head and make your blood run cold, two serious viruses, 6 days in the ICU. TONS of sweating and weight-gain, pain, loss of abilities and words, and medicine. And still this girl lights up everyone around her with her big personality, smile and laugh. She is the breath in my lungs. She is nothing short of amazing.