Roman was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) on Saturday, September 26, following a bone marrow biopsy.
Over the past few months, Roman had been experiencing occasional nosebleeds, which we brought up to his pediatrician back in May. They would stop within minutes and had actually become less frequent. Aside from that, he had been completely normal, with no unusual or concerning symptoms that made us think anything serious was going on.
On Friday, September 18, we took him in for routine blood work as a precaution. That same day, we noticed he had started limping. When we asked him what happened, he told us he had hurt himself either by falling on his knees or wrestling with his brother, so we assumed it was just an injury from playing.
His initial lab results came back showing abnormally low platelets, but everything else appeared normal. During our follow-up call with his pediatrician on Thursday, September 24, I mentioned the limping. She ordered additional blood work that day, which came back with several other abnormal results. A pediatric oncologist called us a few hours later and explained that a bone marrow biopsy was necessary to either rule out or confirm leukemia. His biopsy was scheduled for the following day, Friday, and on Saturday we received his diagnosis.
We are being admitted to the hospital tonight at 8 p.m. Roman will receive a blood transfusion before having his port placed tomorrow, Monday, which also happens to be his 4th birthday. Chemotherapy is scheduled to begin Tuesday, and Friday will be the earliest we can expect to go home if everything goes well.
Our biggest prayer requests are that Roman responds well to treatment, that his body tolerates chemotherapy with minimal complications or side effects, and that the Lord gives his doctors wisdom and guidance throughout his care.
Please also pray for Roman emotionally. He's having a difficult time understanding everything that's happening and feels like the procedures we're putting him through are mean. It's heartbreaking trying to explain all of this to him at such a young age. Pray that the Lord gives us strength, patience, and wisdom to explain things in ways he can understand and that Roman feels safe, comforted, and loved throughout this process.
Please pray for our hearts to remain strong, especially as we navigate so many unknowns. My husband was able to take this week off so we can both be with Roman at the hospital, while our other two boys are being cared for by my parents.
We're trusting the Lord through all of this and are incredibly grateful for everyone's love, support, and prayers. ❤️
Alex and Kialani
