Kayla Rowland, Honored Hero

One month before her 14th birthday, Kayla was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and was told that she would be hospitalized for at least the first month of treatment. Along with a multitude of tests including spinal taps, a bone marrow biopsy, central line placement and transfusions, she began her roughly two-year-long treatment regime of chemotherapy. Kayla’s initial hospital stay shortened to two weeks and thankfully, she went into remission after the first month. Since that time, Kayla has been hospitalized on many occasions, spending days to weeks in the Children’s Oncology unit of Loma Linda fighting infections, recovering from complications, and receiving treatments. Kayla started her first year of high school at home working independently on home school curriculum and online courses. Kayla hopes to return to school for 10th grade and dreams of being a veterinarian in the future. When Kayla and her family joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to participate in their first Light the Night Walk, Kayla was unable to attend due to another hospitalization. Regardless, they celebrated as the top fundraising team at the Inland Empire Walk. Kayla hopes to be an active part of her team this year, walking to raise money, raise awareness of blood cancers and overall support for LLS.