It started for me when I was experiencing extreme pains in my bones. All around my body, except my legs, but my arms would hurt, my ribs and chest, and my back. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. I remember the first day I felt it, we had to go to the emergency room because of how much pain I was in. They did and EKG because of the chest pain and even gave me migraine medicine, but they did not check my blood. That night I did not get any sleep after that and I kept going to my mom for medicine. The next day the pain was better. The only thing that helped me was heat. We had to leave for Illinois that day too and the whole trip I was in pain. Then my mom left for a trip with her boyfriend that next week which left me at home with my cousin and aunt. I went to school that following week but only lasted a day because of the pain. My whole family was trying to figure out what it was. My cousin said it could have been fibromyalgia while my mom thought it had something to do with the muscles. After that whole week though, it seemed to get better and I returned to school the following week. My mom booked appointments for me because she knew this pain wasn’t normal. The doctor examined me, and because I was feeling better she said I would be fine. My mom had to cry for her to take blood test. With those blood test, they found out I was anemic and my vitamin D was really low. They then retested two days later because they thought they I had a virus. That very night I had to go to the hospital. I was diagnosed with leukemia. My mom says I was showing symptoms earlier, like tiredness, paleness, and and enlarged lymph node. She thinks that if they did a biopsy on the lymph node they would have found it earlier. After diagnosed I had a bone morrow biopsy, LP, and surgery for a port. My bone morrow was filled and making 95% Leukemia cells and luckily my LP only had 0.5 blast in it. The treatment time is 2 years, with aggressive chemo for the first 8 month. I’ve been hospitalized a total of 13 times due to planned hospitalization and complications. My treatment doesn’t end till next year in may. I was diagnosed at 14 and am currently 16. Never let your doctors tell you your fine when your not and always stay strong. In the first week I was diagnosed my nurse told me, there’s a silver lining in everything, and I think of that every time it gets rough. Luckily my cancer is the most common cancer in children so the treatment is good and the survival risk is high. Even now they’re still evolving the treatment plan, with a new immunotherapy that I’ve had the chance to get. I’m thankful to my care team, my family and friends. Now all I have to do is hold on till may!