Leah was diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia in June 2020. She had two very lengthy admissions, the first one from 6/5 – 7/14 (39 days) followed by 7/21 – 8/31 (41 days). She then traveled to Boston for a bone marrow transplant. Leah and Roxanne, her mom, were in Boston for a couple of months and recently returned home to Barre. Leah is the youngest in the family, with three older siblings at home, Nevaeh, Kain, and Madilyn. Leah always tells people “it could be worse” or “I’ll get better”. She gave herself the nickname Baby Groot: when she says “I AM GROOT” it means she isn’t feeling well. When she first got home she was using a walker, she is getting better now, but upon returning home she started a dance party to help her legs get strong, so anyone that is home chooses a song and they all dance to each song. When Leah can get out, her goal is to go buy toys, find a kid who has cancer, and just sit and play with them. She wants to tell them “it’s gonna be ok”. She has a goal of becoming a pediatric cancer nurse so she can help other “kids like her”. - Roxanne Russell (Leah's Mom)
