11 years old
Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis

When Alaina was found to have a potentially fatal disorder on her 11th birthday, her mom Katie feared losing her. Instead, thanks to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®, the two were brought closer together than ever.

Alaina has a genetic condition called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) that causes her immune system to dangerously overreact. When Alaina's body encountered a virus or other threat, it ignited a response that threatened her life. "Her immune system, instead of wanting to clean the house, wanted to burn the house down," Katie explained. "It would have killed her."

Alaina's St. Jude doctor had treated HLH before. He placed Alaina on a treatment plan of chemotherapy and immune suppressive medications in preparation for a bone marrow transplant, which Alaina received just after Christmas last year. St. Jude has one of the world's largest bone marrow transplant programs dedicated to children, teens and young adults.

Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live. While staying in St. Jude housing, this mother-daughter pair found a positive side effect to Alaina's treatment: the opportunity to focus on being together.

"We went from having lots of siblings in a big house with lots of animals and all sorts of commotion, to just me and Alaina. She temporarily became an only child," said Katie. "It's transformed our relationship in a way." The level of support offered by St. Jude opened up an opportunity for "one-on-one time, a lot of snuggling, a lot of attention."

Today, Alaina is doing well, and she and her mom have returned home with a bond forged stronger by their time at St. Jude. Alaina is an outgoing young lady who absolutely loves doing arts and crafts and participating in pageants.


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