A Fighting Spirit
- Trainer to the stars Gunnar Peterson, 62, is paying extra special attention to his most important client, his adorable 4-year-old daughter Monroe who is fighting AML leukemia, and led the brave “warrior princess” in some doctor-approved exercises in her hospital room this week.
- Monroe Vivian was diagnosed with AML, acute myeloid leukemia, in March, and she had already started treatment when her dad shared the family’s challenging news.
- AML is a rare cancer of the bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside of your bones. Though AML symptoms can vary from child to child, the most common symptoms include: anemia, bleeding/bruising, bone and joint pain, abdominal pain, and recurrent infections. If your child is showing concerning symptoms such as bruising for no reason, seek immediate care.
Holding the little girl’s hand, Monroe bounced up and down in brief spurts on a “soft and squishy” Sanddune Stepper, which helps with balance and stability.
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In addition to the “heart bumps” activity, Peterson also asked if Monroe still wanted to be a doctor or nurse, but she sweetly shook her head this time as she kicked back in her colorful, stuffed animal-filled room in her hot pink Frozen nightgown.
In Peterson’s caption alongside the video, he shared the “week highlights.”
“Couple of CT scans (they should do packages…) Olympic fever started ?? ?,” he began, referencing the Olympics flag Monroe held in her hand.
“And that’s not the only fever, but we are working on it… In room lymphatic drainage and approved heart rate bumps thanks to @sanddunestepper.”
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“Doesn’t want to be a nurse or a doctor (this week), but happily helps when needed.
Has the Whole Wide World In Her Hands… ? Keep her in your strong, positive thoughts and prayers,” Peterson concluded.
Monroe’s Diagnosis
Gunnar Peterson first announced Monroe’s health news in March.
“This is going to be longer, and cathartically different from my usual fare,” the wellness entrepreneur began in an Instagram post. “Forewarned is forewarned. Life changing turn.”
“Our perfect 4 year old daughter, Monroe Vivian Peterson (MVP, see that?!) had a nagging cough, on and off fever, and an odd pallor to her for a few days last week. Typical kid stuff. Then my wife noticed bruising on her legs which was odd since she hadn’t been very active because of the other symptoms, and she took her to the hospital.”
“Fast forward 4 days ⏩,” Peterson added with a list of all the little girl has endured since the whirlwind diagnosis, including a spinal tap, which is a procedure to remove fluid from your spine. In addition to her chemotherapy, Monroe will need “immediate tranfusion(s).”
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“She has AML leukemia,” he shared, expressing disbelief that his daughter is now a “Make-A-Wish candidate,” as he stated.
“How the f*#! did we get here?!?! More to come as we navigate the nightmare.”
AML stands for acute myeloid leukemia, which is a rare cancer of the bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside of your bones.
WATCH: To understand acute myeloid leukemia (AML), you have to know how bone marrow works, explains Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, director of the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center Leukemia Program
Peterson continued, “Our Warrior Princess will crush this! She has even said it herself! Please hold our daughter, and our family-immediate and extended-in your hearts, thoughts, and prayers. As we are all aware; ‘you never know what someone is going through.’ Already too many thank yous owed so I will spread them out as this unfolds.”
In the comments section, stars like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the Kardashian clan offered their support and optimism for the little girl’s journey.
“We’re always here brother. Always,” Johnson wrote. “She will crush this, as she herself has declared. ❤️❤️❤️.”
RELATED: ‘The Rock’ Shows His Support for Another Cancer Warrior at The People’s Choice Awards
Also taking a moment to send love, Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner shared, “My family and I are praying for your baby G we love you all so very much and lifting her up in the name of Jesus…. ?????❤️?.”
“G! Oh my heart!! I am so so so sorry for you and your family!!” Khloe Kardashian expressed. “If there’s something I can say for certain, she’s a warrior just like her mommy and daddy!! G I’m here if you need anything! I love you and your family and im praying for you all!”
Kim Kardashian added, “We are all praying for you ? we love you.”
Understanding AML in Children
Though AML symptoms can vary from child to child, the most common symptoms include:
- Anemia, which causes your child to become pale and/or breathe faster as their cells struggle to carry oxygen
- Bleeding/bruising
- Bone and joint pain
- Abdominal pain
- Recurrent infections
If your child is showing any of these concerning symptoms, it’s important to act fast to get them care.
AML Treatment
As Peterson mentions, the treatment process typically happens very fast after diagnosis.
According to the American Cancer Society, “treatment of most children with AML is divided into 2 main phases of chemotherapy,” which are Induction, the beginning phase of treatment, and Consolidation, which is a more intensive treatment to kill any remaining leukemia cells. It is not yet clear what Monroe’s medical plan will be.
ACS also notes that children with AML need to be treated in cancer centers or hospitals due to the risk of serious complications.
If the leukemia does not respond well to initial treatment, a doctor may recommend a stem cell transplant, which Children’s Hospital Los Angeles explains is a lifesaving treatment that replaces “abnormal blood-producing cells with cells from your child or a healthy donor.”
These lifesaving treatments replace abnormal blood-producing cells with cells from your child or a healthy donor.
Navigating Childhood Cancer
According to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, only 4 percent of the billions of dollars spent each year on cancer research and treatments are directed towards treating childhood cancer in the United States. Since 1980, fewer than 10 drugs have been developed for use in children with cancer while hundreds of drugs have been created exclusively for adults.
Clinical trials are a critical tool when it comes to advancing drugs, as research obtained in these trials is required to get federal approval for any new treatment that hits the market. These trials play a huge role in advancing cancer care, as well as treatments for any other illness. But there is a huge lag in drug approvals when it comes to advancing therapies for children. In fact, the average time between regulatory approval and the labeling of new therapies for adults and children is nearly 10 years.
The Impact of Childhood Cancer on the Whole Family
SurvivorNet previously spoke with Dr. Cindy Jackson, a pediatrician and chief operating officer at the Institute for Advanced Clinical Trials in Children (I-ACT for Children), about why approvals for pediatric drugs take so much longer and what can be done to close that gap so that children can get the care they need.
Unfortunately, according to Dr. Jackson, there is not a whole lot of incentive for pharmaceutical companies to study drugs for children. Children make up a very small number of people with chronic illnesses or conditions that require serious therapies. For example, the American Cancer Society estimates that around 9,620 children in the U.S. under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer. That’s compared to over two million new cancer cases in total.
“Clinical development is done by for-profit companies,” Dr. Jackson explained. “Those for-profit companies sell drugs to help patients, but they also need to make a profit. The market in pediatrics is very, very small. Only 25% of the population is less than 18, and even fewer of those under 18 years old have chronic conditions that will require long-term therapy—there’s no market advantage really.”
Because of this small number, the companies that make and study drugs may not see financial opportunity in putting resources into pediatric clinical trials and that’s a real issue. Legislation passed in the U.S. the Pediatric Research Equity Act (PREA) and Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (BPCA) aimed to incentivize drug makers to study treatments for children, and required these studies in certain situations, but there is still a lag.
“Were it not for those rules and regulations, these trials wouldn’t be done,” said Dr. Jackson. “There’s very little incentive for pharmaceutical companies to do those trials, but the laws are very helpful.”
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