Many 6-year-olds’ bravery shines the brightest on the playground.
“I like to play with my friends and go down the huge slides,” said first grader Guinevere Millea, who embraces the challenge, but she is no stranger to a challenge.
Her resilience and strength has been evident from the moment she was diagnosed with leukemia when she was just two and a half years old.
“It was two and a half years of multiple rounds of chemo, and she lost her hair twice,” Guinevere’s Mom, Marrissa Millea, said. “She was technically high risk, so she actually got more medication than a standard risk patient.”
Guinevere has been in remission for a little over a year now, but her mother said the journey is far from over.
Guinevere Millea was diagnosed with leukemia when she was just under 3 years old. (Spectrum News 1/Skylar Smith)
“A lot of people think that once they’re done with chemo everything’s back to normal,” she said. “That’s just so far from the truth.”
Katie Oja is vice president of the Jonathan Cancer Fund, and is just one of the many working to end this stigma.
“A lot of times we look at the end and think oh, they’re cured, they’re happy, they’re healthy, and we ignore the fact that these treatments these kids are getting are up to 50, 60 years old,” she said. “They have huge impacts on little growing bodies, and there’s lasting effects that parents worry about for the rest of their lives.”
A pediatric hematology nurse at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital who worked with Guinevere, Brooke Fraser, explained that most research regarding pediatric cancer actually stems from adult treatment.
“This is something that’s real; we need increased funding and awareness and support for this precious population,” she said.
According to the National Cancer Institute, childhood cancer only receives 4% of federal funding.
“Our current medical research status around the country is in tatters because the current administration has pulled money for research, money for trials,” said Chris Arnold, the founder and co-chair of Paige’s Childhood Cancer Fund. His daughter Paige passed away in 1994 after battling leukemia, and he created the fund in her honor.
His organization, along with Katie Oja and the Jonathan Cancer Fund, is working to help patients financially and emotionally.
“We help patients and families from the date of diagnosis through treatment, hopefully into remission and into survivorship,” he said. “Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something, and this is our something.”
Marrissa said that nothing is talked about enough when it comes to childhood cancer.
“It has really just become a taboo subject because no one wants to talk about sick kids,” she said.
But Guinevere very clearly leaves an impression on everyone she meets.
Guinevere Millea has been in remission for a little over a year now, but her mother said the journey is far from over. (Spectrum News 1/Skylar Smith)
“Guinevere is truly one of those kids that we were introduced to early on in her diagnosis, saw her all the way through and see her now,” Katie said. “It’s a lot, but we love the good stories.”
Marrissa, Chris and Katie will continue to fight for kids like Guinevere and make sure their stories are not only heard, but valued.
But for now, Guinevere is mainly focused on conquering those huge slides on the playground and enjoying just being a kid again.