PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Sasha smiles and laughs more easily now. The 3-year-old is a survivor, having spent the last year battling leukemia.
“It was actually almost a year ago to this date,” her mother, Randi, said. “She just wasn’t feeling well and just wasn’t getting any better. And it wasn’t terrible. We just thought she sort of had a mild cold, her belly hurt but then she was just really pale.”
Tests confirmed it was more than a cold. Sasha was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
“It sounds so stereotypical, but I, like, just didn’t believe it. I was kind of in denial, like, ‘Oh, it can’t be leukemia. It has to be some sort of infection.’ You know, you just don’t believe it.”
Reality quickly set in. Sasha underwent treatment at Randall Children’s Hospital, and there were long hospital stays — chemo treatments, medications, tests.
Sasha was brave and went through it all, smiling through the process even when it was hard.
“We were really honest with her, using words that she could understand,” Randi said. “But let her know that her blood was sick and she was in the hospital and that the nurses and doctors were there to help her.”
Sasha, her mom said, “was amazing, really strong and brave.”
This coming Saturday, October 27, thousands of people will “Light the Night” to support the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and the battle against blood cancers.
Sasha will be there. Her family and friends formed a team to raise money for research and show their support.
“Our team is Sasha’s Pink Flamingos. Sasha has loved flamingoes ever since she was very young and she has had a variety of nicknames — one of them being ‘Sasha Fierce,'” Randi said. “The name came kind of naturally.”
Whether you’re part of Sasha’s Pink Flamingos or another team, KOIN 6 News hopes you walk with thousands of others to “Light the Night” on Saturday.