Six-year-old Halle Popowich is still battling leukemia, but her odds of survival were boosted significantly last week after she received a potentially life-saving transplant.
“We just felt relieved and thankful and nervous, all at the same time,” said Deana Popowich, Halle’s mother.
The St. Albert girl was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia – a cancer of the bone marrow and blood – back in June and was told she had a five- to 20-per-cent chance of survival without a bone-marrow transplant.
The transplant, which took place Nov. 9 at Calgary’s Alberta Children’s Hospital, has increased her chance of survival to 50 to 60 per cent.
The family arrived in Calgary at the end of October for Halle to undergo intense chemotherapy and radiation leading up to the transplant.
She received her new bone-marrow cells over a three-hour transfusion through her IV line, most of which she snoozed through, Deana said with a laugh.
“She’s not out of the woods yet for the next two to three weeks, because they’ve done the transplant but it still has to engraft,” she said.
Over the next few weeks, Halle will remain in hospital and will be monitored closely by doctors to ensure there are no adverse effects from the transplant and that the transplanted cells are not rejected.
When she is released from hospital, she will move in with her parents at Ronald McDonald House, where they will stay for a few months while Halle receives ongoing treatment at the hospital.
Although these have been trying times for the family, Deana says it has brought them closer.
“It’s definitely given us some time to spend together, even though … we’re apart a lot,” she said. “(We’re) just spending a lot of time together that you normally wouldn’t because life is so busy normally – I think we’ve just learned it’s nice to slow things down.”
Halle’s parents, Deana and Kurt, first took her to the hospital after noticing a series of abnormal bruises on her legs and feet during bath time this summer. She was diagnosed with leukemia on June 15 and was in surgery the next day.
Her parents and older brother Chase were all tested to see if they were bone-marrow matches, but the tests came back negative.
This prompted the family to call out to complete strangers asking them to join the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, which matches patients with potential donors from around the world.
Roughly 600 Albertans were added to the network in mere weeks.
“We’re just so grateful for the outcry of support and for all the people who registered on the bone marrow registry when they heard Halle’s story. We’re really blessed,” Deana said.
Males 17 to 65 from ethnically diverse backgrounds are the most optimal donors and are still in need. To join the registry, visit www.onematch.ca.
Deana said she one day hopes to meet the bone-marrow donor who provided cells for Halle.
“We’d just probably give them big hugs … it’s hard to even express. You can’t put it into words how grateful you are,” she said.
A group of students from St. Albert Catholic High School began raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada after hearing Halle’s story.
Their Hope for Halle campaign successfully raised more than $2,300 for the society.
