Ailani's Birthday Wish
This will help fund 35 dolls, 50 copies of "Hope has no Hair" and transportation for a Glimmer of Hope team member to assist Ailani in handing out the dolls and doing a book reading at the hospital.
For Ailani's 8th birthday, she wants to spread HOPE to other children battling cancer, like her, through the donation of 35 dolls to her home hospital, John Hopkins in Maryland.
Ailani is a doll LOVER and has received dolls from Glimmer of Hope that bring her so much joy. She wants to bring this same joy to other children battling. Ailani was diagnosed with leukemia in 2019. A few weeks later, it was discovered that her leukemia was not standard, but a rare form with a genetic mutation called KMT2A-rearrangement. This mutation changed her diagnosis to be very high risk with a poor prognosis.
Due to her diagnosis, Ailani's family relocated from Texas to Maryland and began treatment at John Hopkins. In 2019, Ailani received a bone marrow transplant with her dad as the donor.
Sadly, at the end of June 2020, while immunocompromised, Ailani contracted a fungal infection in her knee from a tiny scrape. Within days, the infection had spread throughout her entire body. She had multiple surgeries on her knee and had to have fungal lesions removed from her head, leg and arm. She was incredibly sick, in tremendous pain and doctors and her parents feared she wouldn't leave the hospital alive.
Ailani did not succumb to the fungal infection and was able to receive CAR-T cells in August 2020 to clear the infection. Ailani enjoyed a wonderful 9 m months in remission until she relapsed again in May 2021. In hopes of finding a more effective treatment, Ailani and her parents traveled to California for a clinical trial. She received a second transplant with her mom as the donor, but relapsed just 2 months later.
After many months of waiting, Ailani received her third CAR-T cell therapy in April 2023. Unfortunately, in October 2023, her leukemia came back once again. In March 2024, she received her 4th CAR-T cell therapy treatment in a clinical trial at CHOP. Her parents are praying this therapy will be her forever cure so she can live the long life she deserves.
Ailani has received treatment at 7 hospitals across the countries and participated in 6 clinical trails. She's received 2 bone marrow transplants and 4 different CAR-T cell therapies. She's fought through terrible infections and side effects but she is a WARRIOR. She and her parents are committed to fighting for her forever cure as long as her little body allows.
For now, Ailani is happy and feels fairly healthy and normal. She is surrounded by her parents and loved ones who cherish each moment they are blessed to spend with her.
HELP AILANI SPREAD HOPE
Our goal through this fundraiser is to donate 35 dolls and 50 copies of "Hope has no Hair" to cancer fighters at John Hopkins Children's Hospital in Maryland. Ailani herself will be giving these out.
How you can help:
- Sponsor a Doll for $150
- Sponsor a book for $25
- Sponsor a doll and book set for $175
- Purchase a copy of "Hope has no Hair" on our Amazon Wishlist, which will be shipped directly to us
- Contribute to any of these through a monetary donation of any amount
