She's Our Miracle Girl: Leukemia Survivor Celebrates a Cancer-Free Life
As printed in the Summer 2005 edition of Leaps and Bounds.
At age 5 months, it seemed like Mimi just had a bad cough and cold. However, her family would quickly learn that Mimi had acute myelogenous leukemia and needed to be admitted to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center right away for treatment. Six months after finishing the first round of chemotherapy Mimi suffered a relapse, then later that year underwent a bone marrow transplant. Today, at age 14, Mimi is a health, ambitious teenager who enjoys singing and hanging out with her friends.
"All I want to do is become a singer!"
Among teenage girls that life dream is not unusual. But for vivacious, 14-year-old Hiram Yukunoamlak, known as "Mimi" to family and friends, her dream has a purpose. "I want to use my singing to help the poor and to travel around the world to help others. I want to create a foundation for people who are sick, like I was. And I want to write a book about my life."
Already Mimi has quite a story to tell. When she was 5 months old, her parents were shocked to learn that their daughter had acute myelogenous leukemia. "She had a cold and was coughing, so we took her to our family doctor for a routine checkup. We were sent directly to Cincinnati Children's. They told us Mimi needed to be admitted immediately. At that time we had no idea what leukemia was or what caused it. We really wanted to take Mimi home with us," says her father Ariam.
Trying to Understand
He recalls that the staff made a special effort to explain the disease and treatment, and they brought in Beatrice Lampkin, MD, director of the Division of Hematology / Oncology from 1973-1991 and an expert in leukemia, to help the worried parents understand that their daughter was in good hands. "Then we comprehended the long journey we were starting," Ariam says.
Mimi spent most of the next six months in the hospital for intensive chemotherapy treatment. Her mother never left her side. "That was a very hard time because we had two older children at home too. Eventually a cousin took a semester off from college to live with us and help take care of the kids with other family members," Ariam remembers.
Six months after finishing the first round of chemotherapy treatment Mimi suffered a relapse. She was treated again with chemotherapy, and later that year, had an autologous bone marrow transplant. The toddler first underwent high doses of chemotherapy, along with radiation therapy, to destroy the leukemia-producing bone marrow. Then she received her own marrow -- saved before her relapse -- as a transplant.
Relying on Faith
"All of this was very hard for us to accept. What got us through was the faith and belief we had," Ariam says. "When the leukemia came back, we wanted answers from God."
Her mother Freweyni recalls that even when Mimi was little, she knew God. "One day I found her out of bed, kneeling and praying that her C-line (central IV line) would be removed. Amazingly the doctors decided to take it out the next day."
At Cincinnati Children's the entire family felt as though they were treated like members of a big family. "The staff was very supportive. Everyone knew Mimi and liked her so much. She even encouraged others who were in the hospital," Freweyni recalls.
Finally, after five years with no return of leukemia, Mimi was considered cured. "She's our miracle girl. Some of the other kids we knew in the hospital didn't make it," Ariam says.
Hope for the Future
Looking back now Mimi doesn't remember much about the specifics of her ordeal. "The hardest part was spending so much time away from my family. The best part was that I'm closer to God today because of what I went through. In some ways I'm happy I went through it."
Her parents are grateful that this difficult part of their lives had such a happy ending. "I'm so glad she didn't know much about her illness when she was so sick. Because she was so young, that was the best time to find the leukemia and treat it," Freweyni says.
Although Mimi is considered cured, she still is at risk for long-term complications because of the intensive therapy she received at such a young age. Each year she visits the Long-Term Survivor Program for former cancer patients at Cincinnati Children's so doctors and nurses can check her progress.
This fall the ambitious leukemia survivor will be a freshman at Mt. Healthy High School. When she's not practicing her singing or doing schoolwork, she talks on the phone and hangs out with friends -- just like any other 14-year-old. "My friends don't really know a lot about the leukemia, because it's kind of a private thing," she says. "But I do feel special."
"When other kids were dying, we believed God kept Mimi for a reason," Freweyni says. She and her husband encourage Mimi's commitment to use her gifts to serve. "We tell her, 'Now it's your turn to help others.'"
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