Azella Lopez

July 2020

Azella Kay-Lou Lopez is six years old. She just finished kindergarten at Mills Elementary in Klamath Falls, Oregon. She was diagnosed with Leukemia on June 7th, 2020.

Azella was life flighted on June 5th, 2020 from Klamath Falls, Or to Portland. There we spent a week figuring out everything for her future. Zella will receive chemotherapy one time a week in Medford and one day of doing labs. We also have to travel to Portland for her bone marrow readings. If everything goes as planned, she will be doing this for the next 2 1/2 years. She was just diagnosed with being diabetic on June 16th, 2020.

Azella has very low counts of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. She is at levels so low that if she goes down just a little, she will need a blood transfusion. She can also not get sick at all because her body will not fight it off right now. She has to be very safe because with no platelets if she falls, she could have internal bleeding. If she gets a fever, we have to go be admitted to the hospital. She has to be in a “bubble” for a while until her counts go up. With COVID-19 going around we are having to be EXTRA EXTRA careful. Washing hands every second and protecting her from sick people.

Azella is being a tough girl and floating with each wave that hits her. This little girl has had her life flipped upside down these last few weeks. We have a lot of family and friend support to help her and I with this journey.

I am 24 and a single mother. I work full time and attend college full time. I have to take family medical leave through my work which it amazing, but I won’t have a source of income for the next 12 weeks. And even after that I don’t know if I could return to work due to having to give her medicine, check her blood sugars all day long, and making sure she is eating, drinking, going number 1 and 2. And she cannot go to a babysitter. I also don’t want to leave her side.

I both want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And know that anything will help us through this. I am not the type of person to ask for help but now life has me in a corner and I have no other choice but to reach out. In the end everything will work out how it’s supposed to, we just need to get by until then ❤️