\u201cKim told us it was definitely leukemia, and they knew what kind it was, but they wanted to do genetic tests to determine how they were going to treat it,\u201d Amanda said. \u201cWe left our cart there and were at the hospital in 10 minutes, and treatment started just like that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Margo\u2019s doctors, pediatric hematologists and oncologists Altaf Jamil, MD, and Tyler Severance, MD, told the Browns that she had B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or B-ALL. This cancer starts in your bone marrow and affects developing white blood cells, called blasts, turning them cancerous before they can become a part of your immune system<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first heard the word \u2018leukemia,\u2019 it was like the whole world around me was falling in with this sense of knowing everything was going to change,\u201d Margo said. \u201cWe know families who have lost kids to cancer, and I thought, \u2018Am I going to die?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Thankfully, B-ALL is treatable cancer, particularly when it\u2019s caught early. And because MU Health Care is a member of the Children\u2019s Oncology Group, pediatric cancer experts here use the same evidence-based treatments and clinical trials to treat cancer in children and young adults found in other top hospitals around the world<\/p>\n \u201cAs a parent, it\u2019s critical to have a good relationship with your child\u2019s primary care provider,\u201d Severance said. \u201cSymptoms of pediatric cancer \u2014 weight loss, fever, fatigue, bone pain \u2014 can also happen because of much less serious illness. Margo and her parents didn\u2019t need to know the signs of leukemia, but they went to her pediatrician, and that bridge to our hospital is the most important dynamic in diagnosing pediatric cancer early and getting patients on the road to recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n Margo started inpatient chemotherapy right away. Access to care so close to home in Ashland, Missouri, meant the rest of her family kept their jobs and didn\u2019t face the disruption of long days on the road. Instead, they focused on spending time together in their established community. The Browns were together constantly, talking, crying, watching movies and finding ways to adapt to her diagnosis and treatment.<\/p>\n \u201cThe moment it became real for me was in the car. Margo was texting her friend, and she asked me how to spell leukemia,\u201d Amanda said. \u201cWe had to learn how to spell leukemia, and we had to know and learn to spell lots of terms in the beginning. Those first two days can feel hopeless, but we had a lot of support.\u201d<\/p>\n One of those supports was therapy Duo Dog Link, who visited and laid in bed with Margo when she was too tired to play. The Child Life team and hospital psychiatrist helped the Browns prepare to support Margo while she was in the hospital<\/p>\n \u201cWe always felt cared for and loved by our care team everywhere, from our oncologists, the nurses, the nutritionist and the housekeepers, all the way down to Link,\u201d Amanda said. \u201cEveryone knew Margo’s name, knew her story. It was such a comfort that even though we were in the worst of situations, we really felt like we were getting the best care and that helped immensely.\u201d<\/p>\n Margo\u2019s cancer testing revealed her B-ALL was positive for a cell marker called CD-19. After she finished her initial rounds of chemotherapy (a treatment phase called induction), Margo\u2019s doctors were able to start her on a drug called blinatumomab, with the goal of improving her immune system\u2019s ability to find and kill the cancer<\/p>\n \u201cMargo received state-of-the-art, front-line care,\u201d Severance said. \u201cWe are fortunate here that our diagnostic team can, within hours, diagnose acute leukemia and tell us the strengths and weaknesses of a patient\u2019s cancer. Where we are now reflects how MU Health Care and our community has invested in pediatric cancer care.\u201d<\/p>\n Blinatumomab is delivered through constant infusion from a special portable pump, which allows kids with cancer to live life outside of the hospital while receiving treatment. MU Health Care\u2019s pumps were a gift from the GP M.A.D.E. foundation and have helped kids at MU Health Care, including Margo, achieve remission<\/p>\n \u201cHearing that she was in remission allowed her family to switch their mindset and press onward,\u201d Severance said. \u201cIt was a big change when they redefined their goals and started planning family trips and other fun things.\u201d<\/p>\n Margo lost her hair during treatment, which will continue for the next two years to make sure she is cancer-free. One day, after her parents had shaved their heads to match hers, she opened a prize box toy in the clinic and found hair scrunchies<\/p>\n \u201cEverything in the prize box is donated, but there weren\u2019t a lot of gifts for older kids or teens,\u201d Margo said. \u201cSo, I said, \u2018This gives us something to do.\u2019 In that moment, I decided to make teen carts, and I posted about it on social media. The community donated money, beauty products, sports things, board games, books, blind boxes, stickers and art supplies for older kids.\u201d<\/p>\n As she prepares to enter high school, Margo is close to feeling like her old self again. Her energy has returned, and she is looking forward to tackling the pole vault and continuing to stock the teen carts in the hospital<\/p>\n \u201cTo get all of Margo\u2019s care in Columbia was a life-changing blessing for us,\u201d Joe said. \u201cThe people at MU Health Care saved our child’s life. They will forever be family to us. And it\u2019s exciting, because now that she\u2019s feeling better, we are still finding out what a more healthy version of Margo can do.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Tyler](\"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Severance_Tyler-23-250x300-1.jpg\")
![\"Margo](\"https:\/\/lumeamara.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Champion-Story-Cart_760.png\")
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