Alan Turns 7!

Celebrating a birthday would be exciting enough for most 7-year-olds, but being almost a year free of treatment made Alan’s celebration that much more special. Learn more about his birthday celebration.

This was a special year for the family to celebrate. Alan celebrated his 7th birthday as well as being almost a year treatment-free after being diagnosed three years ago with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects white blood cells. It is the most common childhood cancer and occurs when a bone marrow cell develops errors in its DNA.

Just one week before turning 4 years old, Alan’s diagnosis was shared with the family. Alan made it out of the hospital just in time to celebrate his birthday, but he wasn’t the same kid anymore. Prior to the medications he started, Alan was a happy and jolly child, but treatment shifted his demeanor. This first stay was very difficult on the whole family and even more on Alan as he was very sad. He spent two years battling leukemia and undergoing treatment before being cleared and stopping chemotherapy.

A Mother’s Perspective

Any little happiness that can be brought to the children during hard times is always well worth it. Alan’s mom, Miriam, shared some insight about Alan’s hospital stays and what Icing Smiles means to her: 

“It was devastating to see Alan sad. A lot of screaming, crying, and pokes during treatment is very hard to watch and see your child have to endure. As a parent, we never want to see our children suffer. I want to say thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. Icing Smiles’ cake added extra happiness to him!”

The Cake!

The family was extremely grateful for the two-tiered Minecraft cake created by Sugar Angel April Perez. Alan’s smile radiated pure joy as he enjoyed his birthday cake. According to Alan’s mom, “Icing Smiles made a huge impact on Alan’s celebration because this is his first birthday celebration without medical treatment!”

Icing Smiles continues to help with bringing happiness to families with children who have suffered from a variety of illnesses.