TAHOE CITY, Calif. — This ought to be a mistake. This can’t be true.
That was just what Incline Village residents Scott and Shelby Yorkey immediately believed upon hearing their daughter, Kyla, might have actually cancer spine in early December.
“As soon as we initial heard that, I thought, ‘Gosh, why would certainly the doctor go to the extreme adore that?’” Scott said in an interview last week. “We took her in for a cold, a cough, and now they are telling us that it’s feasible that she has actually leukemia.
“This ought to be some type of mistake.”
Shortly after being about family members that had colds throughout the Thanksgiving holiday, Kyla — after that almost 2 and a half years old — created a persistent cough and became lethargic, achy and pale, her parents said.
Despite not being particularly concerned, as those symptoms are associated along with the common cold, Shelby brought Kyla to a pediatrician on Dec. 8, 2015, getting news that she never ever expected.
“I believe you are in shock as a parent, and for me, I merely struggled breathing and was merely truly shaky,” Shelby recalled. “I merely held her the whole time in my arms, thinking, ‘This can’t be true. This can’t be true.’ We didn’t already know for sure that was the diagnosis at that point, yet merely the believed that was a chance was overwhelming — emotionally overwhelming.
“It was a truly scary thought.”
ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA
Following the pediatrician’s advice, Shelby, Kyla and Scott — that was called while at Jake’s on the Lake in Tahoe City, where he works as executive chef — went to Tahoe Forest Hospital to get hold of a finish blood count test done for Kyla.
The results were concerning.
By that evening, the family found themselves concerning 100 miles away from Truckee in Sacramento at UC Davis Children’s Hospital where Kyla had a room lined up for her.
Another blood test was performed at UC Davis, along with the results coming spine slightly better, indicating Kyla might have actually poor virus pretty Compared to cancer.
“To hear that our daughter (might) had a horrible virus, if you could ever image that being a positive, was just what we were thinking at that time,” Scott said, chuckling.
Unfortunately, that was not the outcome the Yorkeys were dealt. Results from bone marrow biopsy confirmed Kyla — Scott and Shelby’s outgoing and energetic daughter — had leukemia.
Further test results diagnosed Kyla along with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a sort of cancer in which the bone marrow procuces too lots of immature lymphocytes, which are a sort of white blood cell.
ALL is the most common children’s cancer, along with concerning 2,900 brand-new cases of every one of diagnosed in Kids and adolescents in the United States each year, according to the Children’s Oncology Group.
“You have actually to believe the best,” Shelby said. “She’ll get hold of better. She’ll get hold of through this. There’s no others option. You can’t even go down that (other) road … Luckily, the outcome for every one of is quite positive.”
A 2012 study referenced by the American Cancer Society found that Kids along with every one of have actually a survival fee of a lot more Compared to 90 percent.
“The doctors are every one of quite optimistic,” Scott added. “There’s a quite higher victory fee along with treatments.”
Kyla is currently undergoing chemotherapy — yet it comes at a cost.
Community contributions
While the Yorkeys have actually medical insurance, it doesn’t cover every one of the costs associated along with Kyla’s treatment such as travel expenses to and from Sacramento, overnight lodging if the family must remain there, and the entire cost of several of Kyla’s medications.
On top of that, the family has actually its routine expenses to cover such as mortgage payments, groceries and utilities.
In an effort to aid the Yorkeys through this difficult period, family, friends and community members have actually already donated tens of thousands of dollars.
“It’s merely a huge relief due to the fact that it’s merely a massive pressure that has actually been taken off of us,” Scott said. “Do we buy groceries or do we pay this bill? Do we have actually gas to get hold of (to UC Davis)? We haven’t had to worry concerning that due to the fact that there has actually been so much support.”
One of Shelby’s friends due to the fact that childhood, Kali Smith, launched a GoFundMe page on Jan. 6, and as of Tuesday morning, it has actually raised $53,148 through 348 backers.
“Honestly, daily I check out it, it gives me goosebumps learning that so lots of individuals are willing to suggestions out,” Smith said. “It’s merely inspiring.”
Since Kyla’s treatment will certainly take concerning two and a half years to finish — and she is only three months in — there is no donation deadline listed on the GoFundMe page.
It lists a fundraising target of $100,000, citing that the cost for childhood every one of treatment ranges from concerning $55,000 to $160,000 in the United States.
“I truly wanted to take several of the burden off of them merely learning exactly how expensive this would certainly be,” Smith said, referring to her motivation to start the page. “I wanted to take one thing off their plate, so they could focus a lot more on Kyla and her treatment.”
Meanwhile, Scott’s co-workers at Jake’s on the Lake organized a benefit for the family on Feb. 28 at the restaurant. In all, 350 individuals attended, and roughly $33,000 was raised.
“Our community, and you believe North Shore, yet there were individuals (at the benefit) from the whole entire lake — South Shore, Incline, Tahoe City, Truckee,” Scott said. “… There were a couple of times that I merely stepped spine and looked, and it literally brought tears to my eyes that there was that lots of individuals thinking of us.”
Another fundraiser in which some proceeds will certainly be donated to the family is the Ladies Bunco Bash, a 2016 SnowFest! event scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the North Tahoe Event Focus in Kings Beach.
“(I chance the funds) suggestions them along with additional expenses,” said Carol King, event chair. “We already know that insurance doesn’t cover everything. There was constantly incidentals that include up.”
Commenting on the quantity of community support the family has actually recently received, Shelby said: “It makes you enjoy and appreciate living here that much more. I didn’t believe I could appreciate this place any kind of more.”
‘Our brand-new normal’
These monetary donations are especially vital considering Shelby had to leave her task as an account specialist along with Clear Capital — this shortly after returning from maternity leave after having her and Scott’s others daughter, Kenzie — in order to deal with Kyla.
“Hopefully, one day I will certainly have the ability to job there again due to the fact that I enjoy working there, yet right now, it’s merely too much,” Shelby said. “There is no method I could do it due to the fact that I can’t leave the house. I can’t get hold of a babysitter for her due to the fact that (just what if the sitter is) sick, was along with others kids?”
The treatment Kyla is receiving greatly weakens her immune system, so in order to stave off illness, others can’t come over to the Yorkeys’ home — and if they do, they have actually to sanitize.
Also, Shelby and Scott can’t bring Kyla out on errands such as grocery shopping, and they, too, have actually to limit their public outings so they don’t choose up a bug.
They describe it as living in a bubble.
Meanwhile, Scott has actually continued to job at Jake’s — where he has actually been employed due to the fact that 2005 — yet his timetable is at the mercy of Kyla’s medical appointments and overall health.
“Every one of these schedules that the doctors offer us are every one of quite fluid … so you get hold of this timetable and you attempt to timetable work, and that can easily modification at any kind of moment,” Scott said. “We’re merely grateful that Jake’s has actually been so flexible.
“…We don’t already know just what next week will certainly bring, so As soon as I’ve got the time to job and have actually a paycheck coming in, I’m attempting to do it.”
Right prior to Kyla’s cancer diagnosis was confirmed, Shelby said she wondered exactly how the parents of Kids along with cancer do it — get hold of through such a difficult, attempting time.
Now she knows.
“You merely do,” she said. “You have actually no choice. You merely have actually to do it. … This is our brand-new normal, it’s adore ‘K, going down to Sac, going down to UC Davis.’ That’s merely just what we’ve got to do.
“Life changed (snaps fingers) adore that. I had to prevent working, Scott has actually been taking a great deal of time off job to help, yet it’s our brand-new normal. We’re attempting to make it work. It’s every one of for her.”
“You have actually to believe the best. She’ll get hold of better. She’ll get hold of through this. There’s no others option.”Shelby Yorkey
