What was supposed to be a fun, relaxing vacation in the summer of 2022 turned into the worst day of the Ambriz family’s lives. Ashley and Angel had to take their 7-year-old daughter, Alejandra, who goes by the nickname Janda, to the hospital where they received life-changing news.
“She started losing some weight, but it was summer, and she was very active, so we didn’t think much of it,” explained Ashley. “We went to a lake in July. Janda was very pale and not eating, but we thought it might be related to her tooth infections she had since the beginning of the year. Then I noticed her hands were yellow.”
Ashley and Angel took Janda to the nearest hospital, where lab work was done. The doctor told them they needed the specialized care of a children’s hospital. An ambulance transported them to Advocate Children’s Hospital – Park Ridge.
After multiple tests, including a bone marrow biopsy, Ashley and Angel received devastating news: Their daughter had leukemia. They talked through treatment options with the doctors, who recommended starting induction chemotherapy as soon as possible. This treatment is the first stage of chemo and is aimed at destroying as many cancer cells as possible.
“Janda did pretty well with the chemo but developed an itchy spot on her right arm. It kept getting worse, and she had to have a biopsy. She was diagnosed with a rare and serious fungal infection. She was in a lot of pain.”
Janda had surgery to remove the infected tissue. It was a lot for anyone to handle, let alone a 7-year-old.
“On top of being newly diagnosed with cancer and the discomfort, sickness and side effects that come with chemo, she also had to deal with painful dressing changes on her arm,” shared Ashley. “Then the fungal infection spread to her lungs. There was only one antibiotic that would help, so she started taking that.”
Despite all that Janda went through, her caregivers did their best to make sure she was treated gently and with compassion.
“One of her nurses, Kelly, came twice a week for dressing changes. She was so careful and made Janda as comfortable as possible. To this day, we still see Kelly. She’s fantastic.”
A long road ahead
After the induction period was over, there were still cancer cells in Janda’s body.
“At this point, the fungal infection was a greater priority than the chemo,” explained Ashley. “The doctors decided to give her oral chemotherapy for the leukemia to give her body time to heal and recover from the infection, which was still in her lungs.”
After three weeks of antibiotics, the infection finally cleared and the wound on her arm began to heal. After a month of oral chemo, Janda was almost in remission. To be safe, doctors put her on immunotherapy, which helped Janda’s own immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells.
“The immunotherapy put her into remission, but she still has just under a year left of treatment. With the infection gone and her cancer in remission, we feel that things are finally going in the right direction.”
Giving back
Ashley and her family are grateful for the lifesaving care Janda is receiving at Advocate Children’s Hospital. Despite the difficulty of the journey, they’ve met many special people – including other families dealing with cancer.
“Talking to other families in similar situations is so helpful; everyone has been so supportive. And Janda’s care team is incredible – from her oncologist, Dr. Caitlyn Agrawal, to all the nurses, the Child Life team and even volunteers who would spend time with Janda. I wish I knew them all by name,” shared Ashley. “Everyone was so nice and friendly around the clock.”
Now they’re giving back to help other pediatric cancer patients.
“Janda had very long hair, but she had to cut it because a lot of it fell out because of chemo. Her grandmother began crocheting hats for her that have braids attached. She’s made hats for other patients too. I love to bake, so I’m planning a bake sale to raise funds to buy more yarn and supplies for the hats.”
How you can help
Today, Janda is doing much better, but she’s still in intense chemotherapy.
“Some days are better than others, but most of the time she’s okay. She’s strong, and she’s a fighter,” said Ashley. “We’re just so grateful. It’s a great hospital with incredible people. They made our journey easier.”
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