Kaleena was a very active three-year-old. Then one day in May she began to complain of right leg pain after dance and gymnastics classes. I took her to the doctor, but didn't think it was anything other than a sore muscle. The doctor said to give it a few days to see if it gets any better but by Wednesday Kaleena was complaining that her left arm was beginning to hurt. She had also started to run a slight temperature. I watched her for a day and the temperature was getting worse, so I took her back to the doctor.  The doctor thought maybe it was junior arthritis and called a specialist to schedule an appointment. The doctor also sent us for lab work and said she would call me with results as soon as she had them. We were not home an hour before she called and asked if I could take Kaleena to Children's Hospital that night. She also said, "Tina, I am not sure what is going on, but she has two inflammations in her blood and is extremely anemic. So just like that we were on our way to the hospital, which is a two hour drive. We got to the hospital around 8PM, and by 1AM we knew that Kaleena had leukemia.
 
Through all of this, Kaleena has ended up with a total of four fractures- two to her right leg and one to each of her wrists. She has a spica cast, splints on both hands and a brace on her other leg. Her right hip is very weak and thin, hence why she needed to get the spica cast. Kaleena has been so strong even though she can't sit up, roll over or walk on her own. However, she can sit there and tell you how much she loves you and smile. It's so hard sometimes to tell her that she is sick, but that her momma and the doctors are doing the best they can for her. We keep telling her that she has to keep going so that we can go play again when she is a little better. Well, that is my hero story, she's my princess.
 
Written by Tina Williams, Kaleena's Mother
06/10

Update: May 2011

Kaleena recently passed away due to Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on March 22, 2011. She’s so deeply missed. Kaleena was such a strong, bright and loving little girl. She touched everyone whom she met and had such a great heart. She was always smiling no matter how sick she was or how sore. Kaleena was the strongest little girl I will ever know.  She showed me how to get through things I really didn’t think were possible. She had to endure so much in such a short time and it wasn’t fair. She had a total of ten broken (fractured) bones in ten short months. She would get so sick, so tired, and so upset about things that no child should ever have to go through, yet she was always smiling and giving kisses and hugs. She was always laughing, giggling and always trying to look after me to make sure I was ok. She had to grow up so very fast in such a short time. As I said, Kaleena was first diagnosed on May 21, 2010, and relapsed on March 11, 2011. When she relapsed, Kaleena got very sick. She tried so hard to beat this cancer, but it was too strong. I saw her go through things that no mother ever wants their child to go through. It’s so hard because friends, family and others want to be there, but no one knows what she and I had to endure. Kaleena loved everyone, she always wanted to play, draw you a picture, make you laugh, watch Sponge Bob on three televisions at once and show you the heart of an angel. Kaleena is my angel, and always will be. She’s with me day in and day out, but it feels like I’ve lost my best friend, my child, my heart, and the love of my life. She was everything to me. Kaleena always wanted to be a doctor to make the kids feel better, like her doctor was doing for her. Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh became family. They were wonderful with Kaleena. I am a single mom who never left her side, so not only did they care and love Kaleena, but they did the same for me.

Kaleena will always be missed and loved by so many. She was the strongest little girl I know and was Momma’s baby.  Well, thank you for taking the time to know my little angel, she means the world to me and will always be my hero........... love you Kaleena.