Doctors Ignored Autistic Teen’s Agonizing Pain. Then He Got Leukemia Diagnosis — His Spirit Is Shining Bright for Those He Meets Along Cancer Journey

But a trip to the hospital resulted in Harvey being told his “muscles were tight” and getting prescribed diazepam, a drug used to treat muscle spasms . Upon returning home, Harvey’s pain only grew. The autistic teen known for having a high pain threshold ended up crying in his room at night, so his mother, Jessica, thought a bath could help soothe the pain. That’s when she noticed something she hadn’t before.

“As he came out of the bath he noticed a rash coming on his arm and said he had it on his feet,” Jessica told the Manchester Evening News. “All I could describe it as was speckly, like burst blood vessels where the blood comes to the surface of the skin.

“We had taken him to [the emergency room] because it had escalated to the point where he couldn’t walk. He was in absolute agony.”

“I Try To Stay Strong, But Sometimes You Need To Cry”: Playing The Role of Cancer Caregiver and Mom

Finally, Harvey was given a life-changing blood test.

“They came back in straight away and told us it was leukemia,” Jessica said. “It was horrendous. His dad was with him and I was at home. When they phoned me to tell me I remember just screaming. I broke down.

“We couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t wrap my head around it or process what was going on at first. Then I got my nurses head on and asked straight away what the next steps were.”

Further testing revealed that Harvey’s specific diagnosis was acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

“In my head, I just knew we were going to get the worst news from those results, which we did. Within the day they were telling us the treatment plan for Harvey,” Jessica said.

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Now, Harvey is undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatments. He’s been feeling nauseous and lethargic, but the resilient young man has not let it dampen his spirit.

“Harvey’s autism shines through but he’s very high functioning,” Jessica said. “Everybody that meets him just calls him amazing. He is usually so bubbly. Even when he came into the hospital he was apologizing for being poorly and thanking everyone. He is an amazing son.”

Be Pushy… Don’t Settle

In sharing her son’s story, Jessica hopes to educate other parents about advocating for their children’s health.

“It’s an absolute whirlwind, an emotional rollercoaster, but from going through this we know how important it is to not just accept the first answer you’re given if you feel something is wrong,” she explained. “Especially because children and teenagers have falls or bumps all the time, but it could still be something sinister.

“My fear is other teenagers could present with these pains and not know they are at risk. They just need simple blood tests to get the answers and rule it out.”

If you’d like to learn more about Harvey’s story or donate to help him and his family, visit this GoFundMe page.

What Is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia?

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, is a type of blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow. It is also called acute lymphocytic leukemia.

“ALL is a type of cancer that is very aggressive,” Dr. Olalekan Oluwole, a hematologist with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet. “It grows very fast. Within a few weeks, a few months, the person will start to feel very sick.

“And that’s why we will have to give it an equally aggressive type of treatment to break that cycle.”

What Is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)?

Oftentimes, patients with this type of leukemia will already have the disease spread throughout their body by the time they receive a diagnosis.

“It doesn’t follow rules, and it doesn’t stop,” Dr. Oluwole said. “Not only that, because this is part of the immune system, the immune system is sorta like the police of the body. So, those abnormal cells that have now become cancer, they have the ability to go to many places. They go into the blood, and they often go into the tissue or the lining around the brain.”

All About Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Answers to the Most Common Questions About the Disease

Dr. Oluwole says patients with this disease often come to him with fever or infections because the bone marrow has “failed in its ability to make other types of blood cells.” As far as treatment goes, the sooner the better.

“The other question people have is, what if I don’t do anything? The ALL grows very, very fast,” Dr. Oluwole said. “If we don’t do anything, it will cause somebody to die within a few weeks.”

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