A three-year-old girl runs through a bamboo forest

Meet Seeley: Spunky, Three and Cancer Free

What would you do if your newborn was diagnosed with leukemia? Read on to learn how Seeley’s family traveled thousands of miles to save their “little miracle.”

Watch Seeley's Story

“We Knew Something Was Very Wrong”

Seeley developed a persistent fever when she was just 2 weeks old. Her parents took her to their local hospital in Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, where a blood test showed Seeley’s white blood cell count was extremely high. “The team started running to our room,” remembers her mom, Hayley. "And we knew something was very wrong."

A big sister holds her baby sister on a plane

“A Physical Shock”

Seeley was flown to a larger hospital on Oʻahu where she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive, life-threatening blood cancer. “It’s not something you can imagine,” says Seeley’s dad, Shawn. “Your 2-week-old baby getting a diagnosis like that. It was a physical shock.”

A mother and father hold a baby in a hospital room

Who Would You Trust With Your Child’s Life?

Seeley’s oncologist on Oʻahu recommended she transfer to a hospital with more experience treating patients with high-risk leukemias. “I asked where he would go if Seeley was his child,” Hayley says. “He said he would be on the first flight to Seattle Children’s.”

Seattle Children’s world-class leukemia providers are internationally recognized for improving care and cure rates for childhood leukemia. Meet the team.

A mother holds her baby in a hospital room

An Obstacle to Treatment

Seeley needed a bone marrow transplant to survive, but finding a donor was difficult because there were few people in the National Donor Marrow Program Registry with her mixed ethnicity. Hayley shared Seeley’s story throughout Hawaiʻi and inspired thousands to join the registry, but there was still no match for Seeley.

Patients who are ethnically diverse, like Seeley, often struggle to find a match in the registry because there are few donors with the same ethnic background. You can help by joining the National Donor Marrow Program Registry today.

A Seattle Children's provider plays with a young leukemia patient

Finding Hope 2,600 Miles Away

Thankfully, Children’s had a clinical trial where parents could be bone marrow donors for their children, even though they are only a genetic half-match. Seeley was enrolled in the trial and had a successful bone marrow transplant using her mother’s cells when she was 4 months old.

Seattle Children’s patients have access to more advanced leukemia treatments and clinical trials than any other children’s hospital in the Pacific Northwest.

The Best Care in the Worst Situation

Seeley handled her cancer treatment remarkably well with support from Children's High-Risk Leukemia Program. “Our confidence in Children’s team and facilities superseded our expectations," Hayley says. "It was the best place we could have been for Seeley's cancer care.”

A Little Miracle

Seeley's family will celebrate her third birthday in September. She has been cancer-free since her transplant two years ago. “After a life-changing year watching my baby fight, Seeley is now running around causing pure chaos,” Hayley says. “She is our little miracle.”

A girl holding a stuffed turtle runs in a hospital You Can Save a Child’s Life

Last year, 2,383 new patients enrolled in 722 research studies and clinical trials at Seattle Children’s. These studies and clinical trials represent hope for children like Seeley who need the treatments of the future to thrive today. Gifts from our generous community help make those trials possible.

To support research, make a gift to the Research Discovery Fund today. Your contribution will accelerate cures for kids who desperately need them.

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