Meet Portia

She is a sweet and caring girl with an abundance of tenacity.  She loves all things “princess”, has a keen fashion sense, and a very special relationship with her labradoodle, Sully.  When Portia is not playing with her dolls or having a tea party, she is keeping up with her older brother and sister in the pool, on the trampoline or riding her scooter.  She has recently discovered a new love…tumbling and cheer.

Portia was diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in July 2017.  Her only symptom was a persistent fever, which would not subside.  After a blood test by her pediatrician, she had no detectable level of white blood cells, which are necessary to fight off infections.  She was immediately transported, 90 minutes by ambulance, to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee. Portia underwent two blood transfusions and a bone marrow procedure, which revealed her cancer diagnosis.  It was a shock to everyone and difficult to comprehend that a girl who had been swimming and running around, normally, a few days prior was now facing a life-threatening disease.

Over the course of her treatment, Portia has endured countless shots, numerous blood transfusions, spinal taps, daily chemo, too many hospital stays to count, and unexpected emergency room visits.  Thankfully, she is currently in remission and completing the maintenance phase of her treatment, which is scheduled to end in January 2020.