This year alone, more than 106-thousand Americans will be diagnosed with leukemia, or a related cancer, like Lymphoma or Hodgkins disease. Two years ago, Alex Champion was one of them. Today, she serves as an inspiration.
Each one of the stuffed animals she carries out of her room represents a trip to the hospital. She has more than forty of them.
Alex was diagnosed with t-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma on December 26, 2006. Since then, the Champions have traveled back and forth to Iowa City for treatment and checkups.
"When we were in early stages of therapy, we were there every week," says her father Greg.
While the stuffed animals represent trips to the hospital, a roughly three foot strand of beads represent Alex's treatment. "The pokey one is for the shots in my leg," Alex says pointing to a bead with points extending from its center. Another bead represents one of her biopsies. A kitten shaped bead symbolizes, "The kitty you can kind of guess," says Alex. "A CAT scan." And those are just a few of the beads Alex has collected.
Her courage and strength helped make her the Leukemia Lymphoma Society's honored patient. The honor extends to her family. "L.L.S. gave me a chance to focus my anger elsewhere, " says Greg Champion.
Feelings of anger, sadness and frustration are logged on Alex's Care Page on the web. It's an outlet for the Champions and a form of outreach to families like them.
"Everybody's lives are touched by cancer at some point," Greg doesn't think you can get through life without it.
And some, like Alex, touch the lives of others in part, because of their cancer.
Each one of the stuffed animals she carries out of her room represents a trip to the hospital. She has more than forty of them.
Alex was diagnosed with t-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma on December 26, 2006. Since then, the Champions have traveled back and forth to Iowa City for treatment and checkups.
"When we were in early stages of therapy, we were there every week," says her father Greg.
While the stuffed animals represent trips to the hospital, a roughly three foot strand of beads represent Alex's treatment. "The pokey one is for the shots in my leg," Alex says pointing to a bead with points extending from its center. Another bead represents one of her biopsies. A kitten shaped bead symbolizes, "The kitty you can kind of guess," says Alex. "A CAT scan." And those are just a few of the beads Alex has collected.
Her courage and strength helped make her the Leukemia Lymphoma Society's honored patient. The honor extends to her family. "L.L.S. gave me a chance to focus my anger elsewhere, " says Greg Champion.
Feelings of anger, sadness and frustration are logged on Alex's Care Page on the web. It's an outlet for the Champions and a form of outreach to families like them.
"Everybody's lives are touched by cancer at some point," Greg doesn't think you can get through life without it.
And some, like Alex, touch the lives of others in part, because of their cancer.
