Adelaide Nelson

On March 5, 2021, Adelaide had an appointment at the DMV to sit for the test for her learner’s permit. Rather than taking the next step in her independence, we found ourselves getting labs drawn at her doctor’s office and being told we need to go to Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital now. That evening, it was confirmed that Adelaide has leukemia. After the initial shock set in, Adelaide pulled out her Chromebook and finished a Social Studies assignment because it was a group project and she did not want to let her group down.

Over the next several days, we learned the type of Leukemia Adelaide has and what the next 2.5 years would look like. We learned that she could not return to school to finish her Freshman year or return to her swim team until she was in the maintenance phase, approximately 9 months away. That first month, she had multiple procedures and remained inpatient for 37 days. Just before discharge, her appendix ruptured, and she had to have an appendectomy. The most difficult part was the separation of our family. Adelaide is the most amazing big sister to Eva, and they adore each other. Eva is 10 and set the stage in giving our family the ability to handle hard situations. On October 7, 2019 Eva was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. She handles her life challenges with maturity and resiliency that most adults do not possess. My husband and I often sit in awe of our girls. They both have received life-changing diagnoses and they never feel sorry for themselves. They laugh all the time, worry about each other more than themselves and never complain. Watching them is like taking a master class in resilience.

Adelaide is in cycle 4 of maintenance, she is back to school and recently got her drivers licence. She has 8 months left of treatment and although she is feeling good, she still has rough days of nausea and occasionally needs blood transfusions. She receives chemo pills daily at home and quarterly procedures and chemo infusions but we are in the home stretch! She has received more blood and platelet transfusions than I can count, has over 100 days in the hospital, had 1 anaphylactic reaction to a chemo and experienced stroke like symptoms from another. Yet, she smiles through it all and makes her nurses and doctors laugh. We are grateful for the team at Shawn Jenkins who have become our family. We are grateful for all our friends and family who take care of us and do things for us when we don’t even know what we need. We are grateful for Courageous Kids and look forward to being more involved and when this is behind us, we plan to give back by giving to the families who we will go before.

Thank you,
Sean, Missy, Adelaide and Eva Nelson

Adelaide is a year-round competitive swimmer, loves The Office, Stranger Things and true crime. She is taking a forensics class in school She passes time in clinic by coloring and doing fill-ins. Her favorite color is blue and shades of teal. She is an excellent student and takes all honors classes and some AP classes. She was recently inducted into AP Academy. She is a member of National Honor Society and a member of HOSA Future Health Professionals She loves things that keep her organized for school and flair pens to make note taking fun. She wants to attend University Of South Carolina and will pursue a career in healthcare so she can work with kids with cancer in the future.

- Zip-up hoodie - Pajama Set - Hydroflask or similar waterbottle - Silky athletic leggings - Stranger Things wall calendar - Family Game To Share - Sour Patch Kids Candy - Snacks (takis, white cheddar popcorn) - Bath and Body Works fragrance mist (light smell) - Lip Gloss - Shirt Size: Adult X/L - Pant Size: Adult L - Shoe Size: Women's 10