When her strep throat wouldn’t go away, Addison’s pediatrician ordered a full blood count. At the age of 5, she was diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (also sometimes called “Ph+ALL” or “Ph-positive ALL”). This disease is very rarely seen in children and the outlook in adults is seldom good.
Today, Addison is in the maintenance phase of her treatment. She receives chemotherapy every six weeks at Nemours Children's Specialty Care, Jacksonville and continues to participate in a clinical trial.