The rollercoaster ride began in July of 2007 when my youngest daughter was just 8 years old. Lindsay got sick with a very common sinus infection which did not go away with antibiotics. Instead she became sicker and sicker. After many trips to her pediatrician who could not figure out what was wrong with her we changed doctors. Lindsay started having unexplained pains in her knee and then trouble breathing. After an x-ray it was then determined that she had pneumonia. My sweet baby was just so sick with constant fevers and pain. She started feeling better by the beginning of August and had a CT scan scheduled for Aug. 9th to make sure the pneumonia was gone. The pictures showed a mass that remained in her lung. We were instructed to go down to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite immediately. After a blood test, MRI, and bone marrow aspiration she was diagnosed on Aug. 10th with ALL- Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The following Monday a port was placed and chemo began. She had so many tests ,blood draws, shots in her legs, and hundreds of pills. Through it all Lindsay remained strong. Even with side effects such as AVN which caused her excruciating pain she was so brave. She told me that the doctors and nurses at the AFLAC Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service at Scottish Rite were like a second family to her. Even though the cancer is gone she still has to be monitored closely and actually looks forward to her trips to the clinic to see her favorite staff members. A big thank you to every one at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for taking such good care of my baby. We are extremely lucky to have such an amazing hospital so close to us. We are so blessed to have Lindsay and her family as apart of our UGA Miracle family, and we can’t wait to have them back in 2011-2012!


View Lindsay's Story Here
http://www.11alive.com/video/1145014435001/0/Faces-of-Childhood-Cancer-Lindsay-Simmons