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Abby

A girl, Abby, wearing glasses and a pink T-shirt, stirs ingredients in a metal bowl with a rubber spatula and smiles at the camera.

Abby, who loved making art and cooking, lived with a rare form of leukemia for 12 years. Data from her experience could help doctors and researchers improve treatments and outcomes for others with her diagnosis.

Credit: National Cancer Institute

Childhood Cancer Patient

Abby, an aspiring chef, artist, and world traveler, lived more years with cancer than without. At age 4, she was diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome–positive ALL, a rare form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Despite years of harsh treatments and complications, Abby loved life and nurtured a passion for cooking, which she shared through a cooking show that raised awareness for the need of childhood cancer research.

“Abby never gave up,” said her mother, Patty, who believes Abby was able to live years beyond her initial prognosis and begin to follow her dreams thanks to shared data that revealed the most promising treatments, despite the rarity of her disease.

Abby passed away at age 15, but her legacy lives on in her story, work, and medical data, which could help the next child with this type of leukemia.

“Data sharing accelerates learning,” said Patty. “Victories are replicated, failures are not repeated. It helps more people, decreases suffering, and saves lives.”

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