A cancer doctor once shared that it is a miracle that a human being can even be born without something going wrong. You take 2 cells, and by the time a baby is born, there are over 10 Billion cells. The idea that each cell will replicate itself accordingly a miracle.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a type of "blood cancer" that forms inside the bone with the spongy substance called bone marrow. The bone marrow is where many cells are made, including new blood cells.

When cells are reproduced in the bone marrow, they travel into the bloodstream and know exactly their destination and job for the body to function correctly. Every cell has a purpose. When these cells are created, they are “immature” and develop into functioning cells. All immature cells are potentially cancerous, because at that moment in time, they have no purpose. The body is designed to function at a very high level, so when a cell does not develop properly, it has the potential to become cancerous.

Leukemia is a white blood cell mutation that causes the immature cells to multiply, leaving no room for the other healthy cells to develop or function properly. The mutation of these cells is called “blasts”. Since white cells are used in the body to fight infection, these immature cells multiply rapidly.

When a child is diagnosed with A.L.L., there may be a trillion of these immature white cells, or the child will have Leukemia. Depending upon which cell chooses to remain immature depends on the type of Leukemia the child will have. Since there are many types of cells, the child will usually have only 1 type, such as T-Cell. However, other cells may be involved, making that case more complicated.

By the time most children are diagnosed with Leukemia, their bodies are already in a state of crisis.

One treatment used is a bone marrow transplant. The idea of receiving a bone marrow transplant is another miracle. The Doctors figured out that if clean cells were inserted into a person by a blood transfusion, those cells would go to where needed and begin doing the job they were assigned. This procedure usually takes several weeks to determine whether the cells infused are doing their job.

Although, doctors still do not understand what makes the body begin these mutations to cause Leukemia, through research, knowledge is advancing on how to combine chemotherapy with additional therapies to improve the outcomes.

A.L.L. is the most common of the Leukemia, with over 3,000 children diagnosed yearly in the United States. The ages range from 0 to 19 years of age.

In 1981, the success rate of living for 5 years was approximately 35%, depending upon many factors.

Today, in 2021, the success rate of a cure and a long life is over 90%!!