Aubrey Hirsch

Story of our 2021 Honoured Hero Aubrey Hirsch, written by her mother Megan

Our daughter Aubrey was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in 2016 at just 17 months old. It was a huge shock being admitted into the ICU and then having to “move in” to the oncology ward. Aubrey received extensive chemotherapy treatment, living at BC Children’s Hospital full time for 6 months. Most of that time Aubrey was hooked up to an IV tree and immunocompromised. Every morning we would get blood work results back and hang on the balance of what those numbers looked like. We really lived one-day-at-a-time.

A team of healthcare professionals, family, and friends all helped us get through the isolation and preparation for Aubrey's needed bone marrow transplant. With no full match donors available and her dad naturally being a half-match, it was determined a haploid stem cell transplant would be the best option.

Aubrey is now four years post-transplant and thriving. While there are some long-lasting side effects of her journey she currently only has a few extra health check-ups than other kids her age. She lives a full life and is a joy to our family.

When your child has been through such an ordeal, you can never truly shake the worry of what health issues could present in the future, but it is the community of people supporting research and patient needs that drives hope. Thanks to the ever-expanding body of shared knowledge from studies (that children like Aubrey have participated in) research is improving treatment protocols and ultimately outcomes.

Aubrey is here today because of the amazing people committed to sustaining blood cancer research and patientcare. We are grateful beyond the scope of words. Thank you for supporting Light the Night and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. You are making a very real and deeply meaningful difference.

Written by her mother Megan