Sherry picked her daughter up right away and took her to Kim Glazier, M.D., a board certified pediatrician at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Dr. Glazier sent them immediately to the pediatric Emergency Department (ED) at Jersey Shore. Doctors drew Allie's blood and within one hour diagnosed her with leukemia.
Allie has Down syndrome. According to the American Cancer Society, children with Down syndrome are 10 to 20 times more likely to develop leukemia than other kids. To treat her leukemia, Allie needed the specialty pediatric care that K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center provides.
A Young Life on the Line
Allie battled numerous infections during her two-and-a-half-year fight with leukemia. She had a cancer of the white blood cells, which normally help fight infection.
"Children with Down syndrome are already more likely to get serious infections than other kids because they have weaker immune systems," explains Allie's doctor, Aaron Weiss, D.O., who specializes in pediatric hematology/oncology at K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital.
Every infection meant spending anywhere from one to three weeks in the hospital. Then in March 2009, Allie developed an infection in her respiratory system so severe that she stayed in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for six straight weeks. For most of that time, a respirator kept her alive.
The Cornerstones of Care
"I have no doubt in my mind that the staff in the PICU saved Allie's life," says Dr. Weiss. "It was touch and go, but they did a fantastic job managing Allie's condition and getting her parents through the ordeal."
Dr. Weiss was in constant contact with the PICU staff throughout Allie's stay. At K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital, the pediatric oncology team — doctors, nurses, and staff — relies on seamless communication to ensure every patient receives excellent care.
"For a patient as delicate as Allie, good communication and teamwork were essential," Dr. Weiss says. "The pediatric ED staff knew exactly what to do when Allie arrived with an illness. Whenever she was admitted to the Children's Hospital, the inpatient team of residents and nurses were always in touch with the doctors to provide outstanding care."
And it paid off. Today, at only 6 years old, Allie has already fought — and beat — leukemia.
"I truly believe that Allie is with us because she received the very best treatments from the very best doctors," Sherry says.
About the Doctor
Aaron Weiss, D.O.
Board certified in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Neptune | 732-776-4860
