Back to Birmingham 18-year-old Megan Kelley went, a city the Andalusia native knows all too well because of the medical treatment she needs.
Kelley began her fight with Ewing’s Sarcoma — a malignant bone tumor — in July 2013. She spent many days at UAB Medical Center getting treatments as well as feeling the side effects.
She endured losing her hair and the anxiety that comes with waiting on the results of the routine scans. And through it all she has kept a smile on her face and a fight in her heart.
One year later and with all treatments complete, Megan’s scans were clear. But two months later new symptoms appeared, and on Sept. 11 she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
“I’ll stand and be strong, no I’ll never give up, I’ll conquer with love and I’ll fight like a girl,” Kelley posted on her Facebook page Sept. 13. And on Sept. 17, members of Kelley’s church — Bethany Baptist, Andalusia — gathered at her house to pray. They have been a great support to Kelley and her family as well as to 21-year-old Bailey Byrd, who is battling Juvenile Granulosa Cell Tumor, a rare form of ovarian cancer.
“I know it is difficult to read about childhood cancer,” Kelley’s mother, Donna, wrote in a post on the Prayers for Megan Facebook page. “I know it isn’t easy to look through photos of pale, bald-headed kids getting chemo pumped through their veins.
“I live childhood cancer every day. … It is a part of me, a very deep part of me. It’s not only about my Megan, it is about the countless other children who have fought or who are fighting now. Each one of the beautiful kids I have met will forever have a place in my heart. Each child has touched me, each one has a special spark, a beautiful spirit. … It’s been inspiring to watch them fight their battles with courage, love, hope and a smile.” (Jan White, Jennifer Rash)
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