SHANNA ELIZABETH LAHR

Welcome to Shanna's Web Page. It has been provided to keep those who love and care about her, and are praying for her, updated about her condition.

Shanna was born on July 29, 2002. On January 13, 2003 she was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of leukemia, (JMML: juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia). She received a stem cell transplant on July 3, 2003 with her big brother Nathaniel as a perfect donor. She also has a big sister, Paige.

Shanna has been blessed with amazing results so far. Please say a prayer for her continued good health!!! Shanna also has something called Noonan's Syndrome. This is a complex syndrome and Shanna exhibits many of the features including pulmonary valve stenosis and an atrial-septal defect; oral and feeding aversion and oral-motor impairment - because of this she doesn't eat by mouth but is fed through a tube in her stomach; her speech and language development is very delayed; she is very small for her age; and she has many of the other physical characteristics of the syndrome.

Journal

Sunday, July 3, 2005 8:37 PM CDT

Hello Everyone! Today is Shanna's 2-year post-transplant anniversary (her re-birthday.) We are so grateful to have her here with us today. There were times (many) that we weren't sure we would get here. I just really can't describe this feeling...it's awesome.

I really wish those of you who haven't actually met Shanna could meet her. She is like a beam of sunshine. She puts a smile on the faces of all who meet her. Whenever we are out and about Shanna goes along waving and smiling at everyone. I've seen so many people stop to smile back and say hello. She is such a happy little girl!

Well, Shanna had her 2-year post bmt clinic visit almost 2 weeks ago. All of her blood work is normal. She has been cancer-free for 2 years now. We will continue to follow up with her hem-onc doctor every few months. She also continues to go to therapy for her speech, eating/swallowing, and physical delays. I think the speech and of course the swallowing issues will require ongoing therapy for a long time. She starts the developmentally-delayed preschool program in the fall.

Nathaniel and Paige are doing great and getting so big. Nathaniel is just now realizing that he saved his sister's life 2 years ago when he gave her his stem cells. He tends to get a little awe-struck by the whole idea. Paige is such a good big sister. She tries to teach Shanna to say different sounds and words. They are also finally at the age where they play things together, like "house" or "dress-up". It's precious!

So, this entry will conclude Shanna's caringbridge page. I'll leave this final entry on for a month or so before removing it,then I plan to copy the journal and guestbook to a disc. This page has been a very important part of our journey. You'll never know how much all the encouragement, prayers, and support that all of you gave us here means to us. Please continue to pray for good health for Shanna, and please pray for all the children with cancer and their families. Until we went through this, I never knew how many children have cancer. There are way too many!!

Thank you so much for caring about our little girl!

Love,
Pam, Adrian, Shanna, Nathaniel, and Paige

Hospital Information:

Links:

E-mail Author: pamlahr@hotmail.com

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Note: The foregoing information was authored by the patient, parent or guardian, or other parties who are solely responsible for the content. Such announcements or their content are not necessarily endorsed by CaringBridge, Inc. or any sponsoring agent.  This information does not confirm that anyone is or was actually a patient at any facility.