Rowen Young (right) with father Jeff, mother Lysanne, and big sister Aismee during their stay in Calgary for treatments related to Rowen's leukemia and subsequent illness. (Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

GoFundMe

Blackfalds toddler fighting long battle with leukemia

Feb 3, 2020 | 11:33 AM

A Blackfalds family is set to spend up to another year at Calgary’s Ronald McDonald House as their youngest daughter continues her health battle.

Rowen Young, who turns three in April, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in December 2018.

The youngster, who’s earned the nickname ‘Tiny Warrior,’ received treatment in 2019 at Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, including four rounds of chemotherapy, five cranial doses of radiation, and two total body doses.

Her mom, Lysanne Therrien, says they spent 252 nights at Ronald McDonald House and the hospital during the first trip.

A few months after receiving a stem cell transplant in April, the family returned home, but Rowen later caught a cold. Because of her suppressed immune system, that led to a bout with Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD).

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The family has been back at Ronald McDonald House since November with no end in sight.

“Rowen smiles and acts goofy through almost everything. She cooperates and sits through the countless blood pressure and temperature checks, pokes and examinations,” says Therrien. “Even when she was at her lowest with chemo, which is supposed to make her feel nauseous and unwell, she just played and joked.”

As for their lengthy stay at Ronald McDonald House, Therrien says it’s truly been a home away from home.

“The best part is the other families. We’ve made lasting friendships here with other parents who are going through hardships. We lift each other up, vent to each other, and you find people who understand what you are feeling.”

Their stay there has meant a short walk to the hospital each day, having meals cooked by volunteer groups, and an overall decrease in stress.

However, Tiny Warrior’s health issues meant father Jeff, a snubbing rig operator, had to take most of the last year off work. Meantime, Therrien is also on leave, and her mother is in town (also off work) from Nova Scotia to help juggle things and ensure Rowen’s five-year-old sister Aismee isn’t missing school back home in Blackfalds.

A GoFundMe started shortly after Rowen’s original Leukemia diagnosis remains open to help the family with their bills and travel costs.