Hi, I’m Meme or Aunt Mel depending on which of my nieces or nephews you ask. Soon, I look forward to hearing my youngest nephew call me any combination of those 2 syllable names. Lincoln is the youngest grandchild in our family. Only child to my younger sister, Melissa and his father Philip. On January 27th, 2024, at 2 years and 2 months old, doctors shared with our family doctors shared news with our family a preliminary diagnosis for Lincoln: leukemia of ambiguous lineage. This shocking news has been emotional and difficult to navigate. We are working together as a family to support Melissa, his father Philip, and Lincoln through this experience. Here’s what we know so far: His blood is showing some markers for T cell and B cell. Still determining which type of leukemia. They will do more studies to try and determine an exact type - this is the bone marrow aspirate that they will do on Tues., January 30th. Leukemia doesn’t have stages and doesn’t form physical masses; it is a “liquid like tumor” effecting the blood. Leukemia has risk types based on blood, white cells, and age. It is good that he is above the age of 1. Leukemia likes to hide in 2 places in the body- the brain and the testicles. Physical exams so far indicate his testicles are not affected. The spinal tap on Tuesday will determine if there is leukemia present in the soft tissue of the brain/central nervous system. They will do a round of chemo in the spine on Tuesday to help protect the central nervous system. The type of leukemia will determine the exact course of treatment. Treatment, regardless of type, will likely be around 3 years and will very likely involve chemo. After the results come back, if there is a clinical trial for the type of leukemia he has, the drs will encourage to enroll in a clinical trial. This might require travel- such as a referral to St. Judes. Test results will start to trickle in 2 days after the surgery. The end of the week, it’s likely we could have an official diagnosis of the type. The first couple of test results could indicate to the doctors what treatment to start giving right away to help start chipping away at the leukemia. But the full course of treatment plan won’t be in place until all the results are back (10-12 days after surgery). Lincoln completed surgery yesterday, and we will likely have more information within the next 1-2 weeks. Melissa is preparing to be off work for the next year, to be with Lincoln during his hospital visits and treatments. We are raising funds to cover their bills including mortgage, utilities, and transportation to and from treatments.