Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Reagan Allison; Her 'Bout With Lukemia

Reagan Allison
School comes together to help classmate


This is Reagan, my first cousins' granddaughter, it breaks my heart to see her going through this turmoil in her life. But you know she seems to be a trooper and taking it all in stride! She seems happy and full of energy. Am positive she has her days. But the cutest little energetic girl, Reagan, I admire you so very much for your courage and bravery as you take this journey through your young life and I hope for much speed on your recovery. Love you, Your cousin Tip

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Below is an article from our local newspaper, I wanted to share with you and hope there is a way maybe we can get this article revolving around for donations to the family and hopefully to find a cure for this disease. God Bless Reagan & her family...



March 14, 2008 - 4:59PM
Keren Rivas/Times-News



Up until last summer, Reagan Allison was a healthy little girl.
Then in June, the two-year old started having high fevers. Her mother, Wendy Allison, took her to the hospital, where she remained hospitalized for four days. Doctors told her then that the girl had a viral infection. She returned home, but she was not the active little girl she used to be. Reagan's grandmother, Vanessa Allison, who kept her that summer as she always did, said her granddaughter never fully recovered from the infection. "All summer, it was on and off like that," she recalled.
Then in August, Reagan fell ill again. This time, she not only presented high fever. She also was coughing and had bruises all over her body. Doctors told Reagan's mother that it was yet another viral infection and gave the girl another round of antibiotics. On Aug, 20, mother and grandmother took Reagan to the emergency room at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro. At first, they received the same diagnosis. Suspicious that something else was affecting the girl, they asked for blood work. "We were just really persistent," Allison said.
The results, she said, came back in panic, meaning that something was wrong. They immediately took Reagan to the UNC Hospitals at Chapel Hill, where she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lukemia. Though the diagnosis caught Allison and her daughter by surprise, she said the nurses and doctors were very kind in explaining to them that treatment and had a high success rate. "I think the Lord was right with us," Allison said. "I think we handled it very well."
A month after Reagan's diagnosis, Allison quit her job as a teacher's assistant at E.M. Holt Elementary School to take care of her. Though it meant losing her income, Allison said it was the best think for her granddaughter, considering that her daughter is a single mother. "She couldn't go back to daycare," Allison said. "We just felt it best that I keep her so that she wouldn't be exposed to so many germs." Though, financially, things have gotten tough, Allison and her family have found people willing to help them along the way. Allison's church, First Baptist Church of Gibsonville, for instance, helped her and her husband pay the bills during the past three months when her husband could not work due to illness.
"It is so heart-warming how everybody just comes together when someone is in need," she said, adding that even strangers have lent her daughter a helping hand. "The Lord is with us and he said that he will provide and he does," Allison said. In an effort to help Reagan, who turned three in December, E.M. Holt kicked off a campaign, Pennies for Patients, Friday. Students have two weeks to raise as much money as they can. The class that raises the largest amount will get a pizza party, Allison said. All the money collected will be given to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, an organization that helps leukemia patients across the country. "It was just an honor for them to do this in Reagan's honor," Allison said. She said that for the past month, Reagan has been able to act like a 3-year-old once again. "She is the smartest 3-year-old I've ever seen," she said, adding that she is braver and stronger than most of the adults around her. She said Reagan "is doing very well right now," adding that doctors found a little bit of fluids in her left lung this week and are treating her with antibiotics. She is due back at the doctor next week. Allison said Reagan has been asked to be a poster child for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which means she would visit area schools like E.M. Holt and other groups that participate in the society's programs.
Those who would like to help Reagan's family financially can send donations to

Wendy Allison,

P.O. Box 292,

Alamance, NC 27201.
For more information about the society, visit its Web site at
www.leukemia-lymphoma.org.

Until next time - Have a great day & God Bless ... Sylvia
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