As medicine and technology improve, there are, fortunately, more and more people who can say they survived cancer. But Pleasanton resident Alex Keir, 10, is one of the few people who can say she survived cancer twice. Keir, a fourth grade student at Donlon Elementary School, was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and, after surviving that battle, she was later diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. Now, a year and a half after conquering her second battle with cancer, Keir is taking part in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, happening in Livermore June 24-25 at the Livermore High School track and field, to raise money for cancer research.
“I know what it’s like to go through having cancer, and I know it can be even worse for people with some other kinds of cancers, so I wanted to do the Relay for Life since it is something I can do to help,” Keir said.
Keir was 2 years old, almost 3, when she was diagnosed with ALL. Her family, originally from Scotland, had just moved to Pleasanton after her father was transferred for work. It was shortly after arriving in Pleasanton that Keir became extremely fatigued, but at the time her parents chalked it up to her adjusting to a new country. As the symptoms progressed, they decided to take her to the doctor and it was then, after a series of tests, that she was diagnosed with ALL.
The news came on November 5, a date easy for her parents to remember because it is Guy Fox Day in the United Kingdom, but one Keir only thinks of now as her best friend Hannah’s birthday. Being only 3 at the time, Keir has no memory of her first occurrence of cancer or the two and a half years of chemotherapy and radiation treatments that followed.
Keir had been free of cancer for a little more than five years when she was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. This time her family learned the news after she broke her arm during a trip to Scotland.
“We got x-rays and the doctor said there was something unusual,” said Keir, who remembers the process well this time. “She said my bone looked like the bones of an old lady.” Her family cut their trip short and went back to the U.S. where she then received the diagnosis. Keir’s case, having two occurrences of different kinds of cancers, is quite unusual. But, the doctors do not think the two cancers are related since ALL affects the blood whereas Ewing’s Sarcoma is a bone disease, Keir said.
During her bout with Ewing’s Sarcoma, Keir again went through chemotherapy and radiation treatments, but in addition, she could not go outside or be around other people because her immune system was weakened. That was perhaps the hardest part of the process for Keir who missed going to school and seeing her friends.
After a year and a half of treatments, Keir was given a clean bill of help and aside from check-ups every three to six months, she is back to living the life of a normal 10-year-old girl.
It was last year that she first got involved with the Relay for Life after her mother’s doctor invited her to walk in the “survivor’s lap.” For the Relay for Life, an annual fundraiser organized across the country by the American Cancer Society, participants form teams that then walk in a 24-hour relay and raise money by getting sponsors. Some laps have themes to them, and one of the most moving parts is the survivor’s lap, where cancer survivors walk together around the track.
This year, Keir decided she wanted to not just walk, but also raise money and is on the team “Neighborhood Cancer Watch.” So far, she has officially raised $3,607.28 and her team has raised a combined total of $8,470.28.
“It’s a good cause that can help save a person’s life,” Keir said. “Just a little money goes a long ways.”
Keir said she is very thankful to everyone who has already donated and hopes to raise even more money for cancer research.
Make a donation
To donate to Keir’s campaign, visit the American Cancer Society’s Web site at www.cancer.org and click on the “Relay for Life” link. Look for the Livermore Relay for Life site and find Keir’s personal web page where you can make a donation directly online. Checks made payable to the American Cancer Society with “Livermore Relay” on the memo line can be sent to Pure Girls, 660 Main St., Pleasanton 94566 and will be forwarded to Keir. Pure Girls is helping collect donations for Keir after it named her the “Pure Girl of the Month” for May.
