Camille Reynolds’ cancer journey began when she was seven months old. Camille was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) – a less common type of blood cancer in children that causes bone marrow to produce large numbers of abnormal blood cells. Immediately following her AML diagnosis, seven-month-old Camille was admitted to the hematology and oncology unit at Manning Family Children’s.
After six months of intensive chemotherapy, Camille’s treatments had put her into remission fairly quickly. She never had a relapse, nor did she need a bone marrow transplant. After she finished her chemo treatments, she began seeing her oncologist, Dr. Lolie Yu, every three months for blood work and a bone marrow biopsy. A year later, her visits were spaced out every six months. Now 16 years old, Camille sees Dr. Yu every year for follow-up care to ensure her cancer has not returned. Stacie says it’s a miracle that Camille is doing so well after all these years. Camille’s mom, Stacie, says she credits her faith and the oncology care team at Children’s. “The most important thing is to always live in that moment,” said Stacie. “Take it one day at a time. Don’t worry about what could happen and try not to dwell on the percentages of survival. None of that matters. Your child is not a percentage. Your child is not a number. Allow people to help you.”