Cancer is never a word anyone wants to hear. But Miki didn’t let that word define her. Keep reading to hear about Miki’s battle with AML Leukemia and an update on how she’s doing today.

Miki was your typical teen enjoying summer vacation, she is a competitive dancer and was excited about moving up a level in dance and being able to be in some numbers with her sister,  and looking forward to starting high school! Health wise over the summer she noticed she was feeling more tired and had some pretty strange bruises but we just overlooked them as being from dance and staying up really late at night all summer.

School started on August 28. Miki went to school the two days that week before the long Labor Day weekend. That Saturday evening we went to the Gavin DeGraw concert in Freeport. She was saying she was cold a lot and it was such a warm evening and she was acting pretty tired as well. When we got home and said goodnight. I felt her forehead was burning up and she had an almost 104 temp! Her fever continued off and on for the next few days. We went to the doctors and she tested positive for strep and was given an antibiotic and was told she should feel better in the next couple days.

Well that didn’t happen. The fever continued so we went back to doctors and they thought she had pneumonia so we went on another antibiotic because of an area in her lungs but they weren’t sure.  Unfortunately Miki wasn’t able to go back to school during this and her fever still continued with the new antibiotic so her doctor recommended going to Maine Med so we can get a CT and bloodwork done all in the same place. So they did bloodwork and after several hours a whole team of doctors was in talking to us and telling us she has AML Leukemia! A complete shocker!

In that short time our life had changed! With this type of leukemia the treatment is more in-hospital. She ends up doing five rounds of chemo which wipes out her system and then we have to wait for her bone marrow and white blood cells to renew so she has to be in hospital until her counts come up to a safe level to go home.  Usually she is home for about 2 weeks and then she is back for the next round. Each round is approximately 1 month in the hospital then time home so about 6 weeks total.

Miki has been doing great since she finished treatment last April. We were able to finally leave the hospital on May 25 and came home to a police/ fire trucks escort to a huge crowd of people at our dance studio parking lot.

It was so great everyone was cheering and waiving posters and banners and the news crew was there, then the parade escorted us home and drove around our neighborhood. It was quite the emotional welcome home! Everyone was so good wearing mask and being distant too which was great since it was so early in the pandemic.

Once the dance studio got approval Miki and her sister started resuming dance classes and that has really been a great thing. They are actually getting ready for their first competition in a couple weeks. She’ll be performing a solo and has a duet with her sister who is a senior this year and they are in multiple group numbers together as well.

Miki has been able to keep up with her classmates and continue her schooling and she has made high honors, she has been doing hybrid schooling so two days in person and two at home. Health wise her checkups have been great!!

Thanks to the care she received at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, Miki is now back to dancing and enjoying everything that comes with being a teenager. Become a Miracle Maker today by clicking the Donate Now button below to help support Maine’s sick and injured kids, like Miki.

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