Each month we donate a portion of our proceeds to a child with medical needs through the Legendairy Littles program. During the month of January, we will meet Mya, a 7 month-old with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis.
At one month old, Mya began to have bloody stools. Doctors initially believe that this would a milk allergy, however Mya’s symptoms continued to expand into a rash on her abdomen, decreased movements in her left leg, a lump on the top of her head, and her gums appeared to be infected.
By two months old, Mya’s parents rushed her to the Pediatric ER where doctors ran a long list of tests. It was that night when a specialist sat down with her parents and explained that Mya had tumors throughout her body. At that time, the tumors were on her skull, spine, and left femur. She would go on to be diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH).
LCH is a rare cancer-like disease that affects 1 to 2 newborns per million children per year. Within a month of her diagnosis, it would be discovered that Mya has tumors in her lungs and liver. She would go on to have a port placed and start her first round of chemo. Due to the location of all of Mya’s tumors, she is a high-risk patient and will receive chemo for a t least one year.
Mya loves to watch Hey Bear and falling asleep to the relaxing sound of water running. She loves to be snuggled by her family and is working hard to meet milestones of gripping and sitting up. With chemo, Mya is underweight, weighing 8 pounds 12 ounces at 4 months old. Her family and medical teams are working to increase feeds to help her continue to grow.
During the month of January, a portion of our proceeds will be donated to Mya’s family to help with her ongoing medical expenses. If you would like to follow Mya’s story or donate directly to her family, you may do so on their GoFundMe.