SAN ANTONIO – At just 3 years old, Amy Morkovsky is fighting the battle of her life after a diagnosis that left her parents fearing the worst. But though she is small, she is also mighty and resilient as her prognosis is favorable.
In January, Amy developed a rash that got her mother’s attention. She asked the pediatrician about it while she was at an annual checkup for her son, 5-year-old Aiden.
“He asked if the rash was all over her body, and I said yes. And then he kind of gave me a look of concern,” said Brandi Morkovsky, Amy’s mother.
After some blood work, the doctor came back with the news that forever changed their family’s lives.
“‘Amy has leukemia, so you are going to need to go to the ER,’” Brandi Morkovsky said the doctor told her.
Amy had to spend 10 days at Methodist Children’s Hospital. She received lots of pokes and pricks while doctors ran tests. But three months later, she’s now in remission.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re necessarily ‘out of the woods,’ as the saying goes, but we’re happy that she’s in remission at the moment,” said Ryan Morkovsky, Amy’s father.
Amy will continue chemotherapy for the next two years, which means she’ll have to visit the hospital every 10 days. She will sometimes require blood transfusions, meaning she’ll rely heavily on blood donations from the public.
Amy’s parents encourage everyone who is eligible to donate blood. They say they are forever thankful for those who have already donated the gift of life.
“I have no idea who you are, but if your blood went to my daughter, which it well may have if you’re O-negative out there, I thank you. We thank you because she may not be where she is today if not for that,” Ryan Morkovsky said.
Amy will be considered a cancer survivor after she gets through her five-year treatment plan.
Blood supply remains critically low in our area, especially Type O-negative, which is the blood Amy and other trauma patients need. Click here to make an appointment at the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center, or click here to donate through University Health.