When she was born, there were no signs of ill health, but just a few months later and Mackenzie Delainey is fighting with a diagnosis of a little-known type of leukemia.
The newborn daughter of Estevan's Brian Delainey and Tara Johns, Mackenzie remains at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Saskatoon.
She is four months old now and was sent to St. Joseph's Hospital June 8. She was transferred to Regina for further investigation on June 14 and within a day, she deteriorated rapidly and was transported to Saskatoon via air ambulance on June 15.
Mackenzie has been diagnosed with myeloid neoplasm associated with eosinophilia PDGFRB rearrangement, an extremely rare leukemia-like condition, which means she has a chromosome that overproduces her white blood cells.
There is no specific treatment protocol for the condition at this time, said Kim Maber, Johns' sister, who shared some information with the Mercury about Mackenzie's condition.
"The oncologist has been in contact with doctors from Winnipeg and the U.S. to design a treatment. The treatment is experimental at this time," she added.
"She has had several blood transfusions. They put her on a chemotherapy drug. To date she is tolerating it."
Johns is a teacher at Estevan Comprehensive School and Delainey works at Johnson Plumbing and Heating but is off work to be in Saskatoon with Johns and their three-year-old daughter Alexa.
To help cover some of their costs, friends and family have set up a foundation for people to contribute. As of Monday morning, more than $8,000 had been raised through http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/mackenzie-delainey/192724
Johns and Delainey are able to stay with family while in Saskatoon, but Maber noted they have other costs to cover, like travel and food.
"Tara and Brian are extremely hopeful, but this event has been emotionally draining on them," said Maber. "It is extremely difficult to be uprooted from your home to deal with a crisis like this. Every day has its up and downs, and the situation is very stressful."
They have had a lot of support from family, friends and strangers. Maber said the family is very grateful to everyone who has expressed support with a special thanks to the ECS community for their fundraising efforts and support.
"The generous support from the community is overwhelming," said Maber.
She noted the timelines for treatment and how well they may work aren't known, considering the experimental nature of the treatment.
"Because her condition is so rare and the treatment is experimental, we do not know at this time how long she will be in intensive care or how long her treatment will last."
For those who would like to make a contribution to the family, Maber said they don't require any goods at the moment. If people wish, they are asked to contribute to the foundation set up for Mackenzie or to the Canadian Cancer Society.
