The Rock's Heart of Gold
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently shared a video of himself singing his hit song from the movie Moana for a little girl who is battling leukemia.
- Indy has had a long battle with Myelodysplastic syndrome (a disorder caused by abnormal blood cells) which progressed to leukemia.
- Leukemia is a blood cancer that develops when the body produces large quantities of abnormal white blood cells.
Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently posted a video of himself singing his signature song as his character “Maui” from the movie Moana for a little girl named Indy who is battling leukemia. Johnson had seen a video of the girl singing along to one of the hit Disney movie’s songs.
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The Rock replied to the video with a video of him singing You’re Welcome.
“It's 1am and I just got sent this beautiful vid of a VERY special & strong little girl named Indy Llew,” Johnson wrote on his Instagram. “Stay strong honey and keep singing your songs! Love you, Maui”
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Johnson clearly made Indy’s day because her mother recently told followers that she has watched his special message “at least 15 times.” Little did Johnson know, but Indy has asked her father to sing her to sleep with the “Maui song” every night for about two years.
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Indy’s Battle with Cancer
In a recent Facebook post, Indy’s mother shared an update on Indy’s health.
“While Indy's bone marrow remains clear and her labs are good, leukemia has grown inward and it has moved pretty quickly,” Belle wrote. “Considering our options and praying about what is best for Indy, B and I both received a pretty clear message that Indy desires to be free of this burden. Out of respect for her body and her spirit, further medical intervention feels wrong. The chance of cure from more treatment is extremely minimal.”
Belle also said her “brave girl has just been through too much” referring to earlier treatment for Myelodysplastic syndrome, which Indy was diagnosed with in January 2018. Myelodysplastic syndromes, or MDS, are a group of disorders caused by blood cells that are poorly formed or don’t work properly, according to the Mayo Clinic. These disorders result from “something amiss” in the bone marrow which is where blood cells are made.
In the past, MDS was sometimes referred to as pre-leukemia or smoldering leukemia, according to the American Cancer Society. But now that doctors have learned more about MDS, it is considered a type of cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that about one in three patients with MDS get acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Indy also has Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome are “slightly more likely” to get leukemia than other children at the same age, according to Mass General for Children.
The family hoped Indy’s MDS would not progress to leukemia, but they are trying to make the most of their time remaining with her.
“We will be loving on her at home like we did last year, filling her body with goodness and making her feel joy,” Belle wrote. “I am open & ready to receive any and all miracles heaven has in store for Indy, in whatever form they may come. We will continue to give this our all and let Indy know we support her and love her in all things, no matter what. I truly cannot bear the thought of losing her but even worse than that is to watch her suffer this any longer.”
Understanding Leukemia
Leukemia is a blood cancer that develops when the body produces large quantities of abnormal white blood cells. These cells prevent the bone marrow from producing any other type of cell including red blood cells and platelets.
"One cell got really selfish and decided that it needed to take up all the resources of everybody else, and, in doing so, took up space and energy from the rest of the body," Dr. Nina Shah, a hematologist at University of California San Francisco, explains.
What is a Blood Cancer? How is it different?
"In general having a blood cancer means that your bone marrow is not functioning correctly," she continues. "And when your bone marrow doesn't function correctly, it means that you can have something happen to you like anemia. Or you can have low platelets, which makes it possible for you to bleed easily. Or your immune system is not functioning correctly."
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