Nyah’s name means “tenacious,” and that’s a spirit she has certainly demonstrated in her six-year journey with cancer.
A healthy and active, soccer-playing 10-year-old, Nyah’s life changed drastically when she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in September 2017.
Suddenly, her world revolved around hospital appointments and treatments. Because treatment compromised her immune system, she couldn’t attend school with her friends or enjoy her favourite activities.
To make treatments more manageable, Nyah took part in a first-in-Canada program called Hospital at Home. Through this donor-funded program, a nurse administered Nyah’s chemotherapy at home, saving her from many nights in the hospital.
After a few relapses, and multiple rounds of chemotherapy, Nyah’s cancer was finally in remission by the end of 2020. In May 2021, Nyah underwent a bone marrow transplant (BMT) to completely kill off all remaining cancer cells in her body. Nyah remains in remission, but lives with side effects of her transplant including chronic graft vs. host disease and is closely monitored by her team of specialists.
Today, Nyah is an avid golfer and gamer, and hopes to be an oncologist herself one day.
Nyah’s family recognizes the important need for research currently underway at Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute to discover gentler therapies to reduce or eliminate the life-long and often devastating side effects experienced by many childhood cancer survivors. By supporting the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, you’re helping to give kids like Nyah the innovative care they need, where and when they need it.
