Although most of her young life has been spent fighting an invisible enemy, Bexley has never let her diagnosis define her. Just a toddler when she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, the now 6-year-old recently completed three years of treatment at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs.
In November 2022, she wrapped up the final phase of her lengthy treatment, which was focused on making sure the cancer won’t return. It’s been a long journey for the whole family, especially since Bexley was diagnosed right before the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Cancer treatments can affect the immune system, making patients more vulnerable to infections, so everyone in the household has needed to take extra precautions to minimize any exposure to illnesses.
“Throughout her treatment we focused on having her at home and what we could do there, and just spending more time together,” Jenny says.
For Bexley and her three older brothers, who have been her constant companions and biggest cheerleaders, that’s meant countless days riding bikes and playing board games. After evading COVID-19 for almost two years, Bexley tested positive for the virus in November 2021. She spent several days in the hospital at Children’s Colorado due to experiencing severe respiratory symptoms related to a secondary infection.
“It was pretty scary,” Jenny recalls. ”There were three days where we just weren’t really sure she was going to survive.”
Through it all, Children’s Colorado has come to feel like a home away from home for Bexley, and the cancer team has served as a lifeline for the whole family.
“Children’s Colorado means everything to us,” Jenny says. “They have always listened to us. They take into account we have three other kids and have worked with us so much.”
Added Bexley, “I see the nurses there, and they are my friends forever.”