Sarah, The Leukaemia Warrior Princess

She is beautiful, fierce, and she is a warrior - her name is Sarah Hamby. **Please see the most recent update on October 2nd, 2022 below.**

This brave, strong girl, has gone through more in her 11 years, then some of us will ever face in a lifetime. On October 29th, 2020, the dreadful call came and the Hamby's were informed that Sarah had, yet again, relapsed. November 4th she was admitted to Sick Kids Hospital (in Toronto), to start her 5th fight with Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.

This fight with Cancer started when she was 3 and has taken a huge chunk of her childhood away from her. Too many special occasions she has had to miss - Birthdays, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween - spent in the hospital or at Ronald McDonald House. She has been robbed of a regular childhood with friends drifting away, school not always being safe and every time she came down with a fever, meant a trip to their closest hospital to test her levels. Even when she was in remission, she had multiple appointments at Sick Kids and it was almost a second home.

Let me try to break down Sarah's journey so far. So much more has happened then what is written here, these are just the Coles notes:

1st Diagnosed - October 13th, 2012, 3 years old, Chemotherapy treatment

1st Relapse - July 27th, 2016, 7 years old, Bone marrow transplant

2nd Relapse - February 2nd, 2018, 9 years old, Exploratory immunotherapy Car-T Cell treatment

3rd Relapse - September 16th 2019, 10 years old, Stem cell transplant

4th Relapse - October 29th, 2020, 11 years old and her fight has yet to fully begin. The options are limited, but they are holding on to hope that a "miracle drug" (Blinatumomab, which requires special permission to use), will be the final chapter. Hopefully they will hear soon if this request will be granted.

The Hamby's are the most thoughtful, compassionate and strongest family that I have ever met. Gillian, a teacher, was not able to go back this school year, due to the risks. Her biggest fear has always been Sarah relapsing and she's had to face this nightmare 4 times now. Always keeping strong, she's the keeper of information and organization. Mark, the silent strength in this difficult situation, has had to take a leave from work again as he has each time before. He's the one who is responsible for keeping the laughs going, when it feels like the sky is crumbling. Between them, they switch off to make sure both their daughters are taken care of. Kiarra, Sarah's 14 year old sister, has had to be mature far beyond her years. She has always been supportive and dealt with Sarah's diagnosis in a way that most adults would not be capable of.

This family has been to hell and back repeatedly. Any help that we can give to help alleviate any financial worries, would be such a tremendous help. This is a situation where we all feel helpless, that there is nothing that we can do to help or change what is happening. The only thing that we can do, is help them so that they do not have to worry about all the extra expenses on top of the day to day bills they will now be facing, as Sarah battles for her life. There will be added burdens of gas, parking, meals, just to name a few, with each added appointment or hospital stay. As of this campaign, Sarah's treatment strategy has not been finalized. Please help support the Hamby's during this extremely difficult time.

**UPDATE**

As of Nov 12th, Sarah was approved to receive Blinatumomab and will start medication the week of Nov 16th to treat her Leukaemia, when she will be admitted to start treatment. She will be at Sick Kids for 8-10 days for observation, to make sure she's tolerating the medication well. Once they feel she is, she will be discharged to continue treatment at home, with frequent appointments back at the Hospital.