For 7-year-old Kash Saldana, this school year brings more than just books, homework and friendship, Saldana is finally able to return after beating cancer.
Diagnosed with leukemia at the age of two, Saldana is now a 2nd grader at Nelson elementary and has been given the green light to resume his studies and with the help from the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Saldana was able to get a school shopping spree at the Burlington store in Clovis.
As part of a nationwide initiative to bring smiles and confidence to childhood cancer survivors heading back to school this fall, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which funds blood cancer research and lifesaving treatments, has teamed up with Burlington Stores to offer these child survivors new clothes.
Kash was almost three years old when he was diagnosed with a rare and fast-growing type of cancer called Burkitt’s leukemia. For six months after his diagnosis, Saldana endured chemotherapy and the side effects that came with it.
His mother, Esther Saldana, spoke on her son’s challenges.
“Although he was too young to understand this terrible disease, we never let him feel that he was fighting it alone,” she said. “Seeing our baby go through so much, and being unable to help him, was the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do.”
Saldana’s entire family was there to help him through the treatment and the process of him getting back to normal. Between his parents and his two brothers; David and now his younger brother King, Saldana had a strong support system.
“Kash’s smile kept us going through it all. While we were trying to comfort him, he was actually comforting us with that big smile and his positive attitude,” she said. “It brings us so much joy to see him back to his energetic self after going through so much.”
Saldana is now able to rejoin his classmates.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world, provides free information and support services, and is the voice for all blood cancer patients seeking access to quality, affordable, coordinated care. For more info, visit lls.org