Langford’s Hannah Day, 4, and her family are desperately searching for a stem cell transplant match as Hannah faces the second cancer diagnosis of her young life.
Hannah, 4, is back in Langford after spending Christmas in B.C. Children’s Hospital for treatment after she suffered a seizure at home. As a result of the seizure Hannah had gone pale and her lips were purple, prompting her mother to call 911, rushing her to the hospital.
Hannah was mostly not alert as doctor’s ran tests on her. When she started to develop jaundice Hannah was flown to Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
“I have been holding her hand for so long, just to see if she’ll squeeze back,” Hannah’s mother wrote to family friend and fundraising organizer Kim Roost.
Hannah eventually began to come around, talking and remaining awake for periods of time, though in pain. Roost said they never really determined what caused the seizure.
Meanwhile Hannah’s cancer, a form of leukemia, is getting worse, though she is back in Langford and celebrated Christmas with her family at home on Dec. 28.
Hannah’s only hope of curing her cancer is finding a match for a stem cell transplant, Roost said. Her best hope lay in her little sister, Hailey, but she proved to not be a 100 per cent match, which is necessary. The family received that news Christmas Eve.
“It’s kind of like one step forward, two steps back,” Roost said. “It’s not how anyone wants to spend their Christmas.”
The odds of Hannah finding a 100 per cent match have been laid out by doctors as very low.
The family is calling on anyone willing to register as a donor. To register visit onematch.ca and fill out form. You must be between the ages of 17 and 35. If a person is a potential match, they will be sent a kit in the mail with a mouth swab, which is then sent back and entered into a database.
Fundraising efforts continue to help out Hannah’s family with the costs associated with missing work and staying in Vancouver. A bottle drive will be held Jan. 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Alpine businesses (2832 Millstream Rd.). Loghouse Pub is hosting a burger night on Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. to raise money.
A bank account has been set up with the Coastal Community Credit Union. The account number is 755860, or email transfers can be made to hopeforhannahday@gmail.com. For more information on fundraising contact that same email.
To follow Hannah’s progress or donate to the family visit angelsforhannah.com.