Andrew MacKinlay
Surviving ALL
My name is Andrew MacKinlay, and I am 8 years old. I am in second grade and live in Norwell with my mom and dad and younger sister and brother. I am really happy to tell you that last October (2000) I finished two years of chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I was diagnosed when I was five, and it seems like a long time ago.
As I ended my treatment my family and I had fun as we celebrated my last pill and last round of chemo and steroids, and the big one—the removal of my port. My port sat inside my chest for over two years and was how I got my chemo. We called it my "de-portation" day. After the surgery to remove my port was over I woke up in the recovery room and my mom said, "Andrew, you did it; it's all over."
I was happy when I felt where my port used to be and it was gone. Now, when I play little league this year, I will not need to wear a chest protector under my shirt. I saved my port, and we strung red and green beads on it and hung it on our Christmas tree. It was hung under this button that reads, "I'M LIVING PROOF!" I am very thankful for my Jimmy Fund doctors and nurses who helped me to be well.
Two years is a long time for a kid to have chemo. It was hard to go back to school at first without my hair, but no one in my school said anything except one kid on my bus who called me "Baldie," but he is mean to everyone. Chemo made my legs feel stiff, and sometimes when I was playing at recess I would fall a lot. I really couldn't run very fast either.
But I played little league last year, and one game I came right from the Jimmy Fund after starting my chemo. My mom was worried about my playing, and she asked my nurse if it was okay; the nurse said it was. I told my mom that morning that I was going to play, and I did. I am playing again this year, too.
Sometimes in school, I felt sick and tired and just wanted to put my head on my desk. It was also hard for me to finish all my work on time. I spent a lot of time in the nurse's office, but she was so nice and always helped me out. She helped a boy who had leukemia a long time ago. He is in high school now and is our town's quarterback.
At the end of my treatment appointment, I asked my doctor two important questions: when will my legs be fast again (I used to run really fast), and when can I have vitamins. She told me it will take some time for the chemo to come out of my body, but then I should feel really good. She also said I could have vitamins any time. My mom had brought some with her, and she gave me the first vitamin I have had in two years right at the clinic.
One of the medications I am glad I don't have to take anymore is called 6-MP. I had to take it right before bed and could not have anything to eat or drink an hour before. I always wanted a glass of milk. The night after my last 6-MP, I stayed up late and ate ice cream and popcorn and drank lots and lots of milk while watching Monday Night Football with my dad. It was pretty cool.
I have a few friends who have just ended their treatment. One girl was in high school when she got leukemia and was diagnosed a month after me. She has a nice family and lives near me. I saw her a lot at the hospital and at the clinic. She has been accepted to four colleges. I went to her end-of-treatment party and gave her roses. She had to work so hard in school when she felt sick; to me, that is awesome courage. I know another girl who has a really mean leukemia. I remember telling her something that a kid at the clinic told me when I was having a hard time. He told me: "It will get easier."
It has been so hard for this girl; my family and I think of her a lot. I told her it will get easier, but it really hasn't been for her. After I stopped getting those wicked painful shots in my leg, and I didn't need IVs for CAT scans anymore, and I wasn't in the hospital as much, it was a little better. For some kids, it just stays really, really hard the whole time.
I am happy that my hair came back. It's a little different than it was before, but that's okay. I am eating some of the foods I liked before I got sick, and they taste good again. Each day I am getting stronger, and I swim to help my feet and ankles get better. I always take my vitamins.
I really want to go to college and play college basketball like my dad. One day, maybe I will tell my college basketball teammates that I had leukemia and that it was the hardest thing I have ever done. Maybe by then chemo will be easier for kids and they won't have to feel so sick for so long. Maybe by then all the kids will be cured. I like to think about that.
Then I will lace up my sneakers, go out and sink the winning three-point shot to win the NCAA championship. I like to think about that, too.
