RELAY FOR LIFE HONORARY CHAIR ALAINA JANS

On May 10, 2022 our daughter, 6 year old Alaina was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia). She saw multiple different doctors to get this diagnosis. Her first symptom was her back hurt. Then the next week she couldn’t walk. We were carrying her everywhere. The doctors just thought she pulled a muscle in her back. Little did we all know it was far more than a pulled muscle. She started treatment right away at Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls. It was a huge adjustment for our entire family. We had to start relying on more people for help because Alaina was in and out of the hospital, she had multiple different appointments, and we never knew when she would be hospitalized. Alaina had a pretty rough time with getting used to all the medications she had to take, and they made her feel worse sometimes. One thing she did enjoy though was the children’s hospital. They always made her feel right at home and always had something fun for her to do. Alaina had multiple hospitalizations. Many times, she was very sick. The chemo would tank her blood counts and she would have no immune system. She needed multiple blood transfusions too. For the past two years Alaina went to the castle regularly for checkup’s and treatments. The thing Alaina had the most trouble with was losing her hair. She loved her curly red hair. She embraced it well though. She always had a smile on her face even through some of the hardest times. That helped us all. As parents it was really hard to watch our little girl go through things we couldn’t imagine going through. She had countless lumbar punctures, a couple bone marrow biopsies and multiple different lab tests. She was always getting poked. Sitting back and not being able to do anything about it was so hard as a parent. All we could do was be there. Which was exactly what she needed. We had so much support from our families and our entire community. We are so grateful for everyone that helped us through such a difficult time. On July 2, 2024 she got to celebrate and ring the bell. She took her last dose of chemotherapy on July 13, 2024. Alaina can finally say “I BEAT CANCER”!