Sierra Whyte
Jennifer Burgess knows if she had waited a few more weeks before bringing her daughter, Sierra, to the doctors she might have lost her. What were seemingly flu-like symptoms ' fatigue, bruising, paleness, lethargy ' turned out to be high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Since her diagnosis in January 2010, Sierra has endured a lot: more than 30 blood and platelet transfusions, a lumbar puncture, bone marrow biopsies and rounds of intravenous chemotherapy. Sierra spends alternating weeks at home and at the hospital and is slated to undergo 22 more months of treatment. The prognosis is positive, and Jennifer is grateful she brought Sierra to BC Children's Hospital that day.