Maia was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in June of 2016, just shy of her 4th birthday. She is currently in what is called the "Maintenance" phase of her treatment, a treatment that lasts 2 1/2 years. Since starting treatment 8 months ago, Maia has had a large combination of chemo therapies - some oral, others through an IV (which goes in through a port - a type of catheter - in her chest), and others straight into her spinal fluid. One chemo caused a blood clot in Maia's arm, and she had to be on twice daily blood thinner shots for 5 months. She has been in and out of the hospital multiple times with fevers, viruses, and bacterial infections, but Maia handles each one of those situations with grace and joy and can often be seen riding her IV pole around the hospital with a huge smile, singing songs for all of the nurses to hear. Aside from singing (which she could do all day long), Maia enjoys painting, play dough, princesses and the colors pink and purple. Her favorite princesses are Ariel, Rapunzel, and Ana from frozen. She is full of kindness and empathy, and she has such a love of people. Maia is such an easy going and enjoyable kid that aside from princesses, most of her "favorite" things change on a daily basis, she just loves everything too much. She is looking forward to the near future where she will get to start kindergarten. When she grows up, she wants to be a ballerina, a princess, a mommy, and a teacher. Thank you for supporting Maia and the more than 300,000 kids worldwide who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. By sharing the gifts of your time, talent and money with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, you're supporting research to give all kids with cancer a better chance for a cure.