Eight-year-old Hailey is creative, clever, and incredibly caring. She loves playing board games, being silly, and spending time with her four-year-old brother, Jaxson. This summer, Hailey is so excited to be at camp making memories with her friends. But these past several months have also been a big transition for Hailey and her family. Jaxson is currently undergoing treatment for Leukemia and recently received a bone marrow transplant. Today, Hailey is using her beautiful art to share her story, explain what her family has been going through, and show how she stays close to her brother even when they are apart.

What is Leukemia? Jaxson has Leukemia, which is a type of cancer in the blood. When someone has Leukemia, unhealthy cancer cells take up too much room, making it hard for the helpful red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets to do their jobs. To help get rid of those crowded cancer cells, Jaxson has to receive special treatments, like chemotherapy.

The Blood Factory Sometimes, kids need a bone marrow transplant to help their bodies make healthy new blood. You can think of bone marrow like a tiny blood factory inside our bones. Because Jaxson’s factory wasn’t working the way it needed to, he got a brand-new one! Just like a big art project, building a new factory takes time and patience. But once his new factory is up and running, Jaxson will start feeling much better.