On 6/20/2022, just 2 days after his 2nd birthday, Adrian Valentino was diagnosed with AML Leukemia. His first noticeable symptom, causing us to take him to the ER at UNM Sandoval on June 21, 2022, was swollen lymph nodes, presenting him to have a bullfrog-looking neck due to all of the swelling. They transferred him to UNMH - Downtown June 22, 2022. We were told it was likely a blood disorder due to his high white blood count. After a countless number of tests they came back with the inevitable news of Leukemia, he was also diagnosed with the paraflu & COVID. On 6/24/2022, they completed a bone marrow biopsy and placed a Broviac Catheter to help with the administration of medication and to eliminate the number of pokes he has to receive. We were told that he had 94% of leukemia cells present in his bone marrow. We were also notified they found KMT2A Rearrangement in his bone marrow which potentially complicates and lengthens his treatment plan. After his first phase of chemo was completed we transferred him to Presbyterian, where he was able to play and go outside for the first time in 36 days and allow him to have time to be a kid again.
Adrian's test results were sent to Denver since they specialize in bone marrow transplants, and often, AML patients, with KMT2A rearrangements, need one to reach a complete successful remission. We were in contact with them at the end of Phase 2, in August 2022, since he still hadn’t reached remission and his cancer was then considered to be refractory AML Leukemia, which means he was resistant to the chemo. We were told all of the complications, and successes, of bone marrow transplant. We also enrolled him in a clinical trial where he received extra NK cells from Kyle.
In October 2022, at the end of phase 3, we were finally told that our boy had reached remission and we would be on our way to Denver for his bone marrow transplant.
We were admitted to Childrens Hospital in Aurora CO on November 9th, he received chemo & preparatory drugs for the transplant and had his Bone Marrow Transplant on 11/17/22. Adrian is now in complete remission with a successful engraftment of his bone marrow. He was discharged from the hospital on December 19, 2022.