Moses Lake girl recovering from cancer

Family thankful for community support

MOSES LAKE - After Moses Lake resident Kelli Ritter reaches the one-year date of her bone marrow transplant, she can get a new pet.

The 10-year-old received a bone marrow transplant May 24. When the diagnosis came in, all her pets had to go because the family was rarely home to take care of them. The pets cannot be reintroduced to the house because Kelli's immune system is too weak.

She lost a guinea pig, a cat and a dog.

"I'm looking forward to having pets again," she said.

Kelli was diagnosed with leukemia one year ago on Jan. 11. Her mother, Josie Ritter, said Kelli experienced flu-like symptoms. They visited a doctor in town.

"They ran a blood test, and within 20 minutes they pulled us into the office," Josie said.

Doctors said blasts had been found in her blood - which was a good indication of leukemia.

"It's devastating," Josie said of the experience receiving the news. Josie's father died of cancer only a couple years before Kelli's diagnosis, she said.

They headed to Spokane, where the family learned Kelli had acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and she was Philadelphia-chromosome positive - meaning her ninth and 22nd chromosome switched places to cause rapid cell growth.

According to the National Marrow Donor Program, acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common form of leukemia found in children.

Even though Kelli was young, Josie made the decision to keep Kelli informed about her medical issues.

"It's something that she's going through, and it's her body, and it's her life," Josie said. "I think she should know, even at 10, what's going on."

In May, Kelli underwent a bone-marrow transplant in Seattle, following rounds of radiation treatment and chemotherapy. The only information the family knows about the donor is he is in his 30s and lives in Germany. This May, when the transplant is considered a success, the family will have the chance to contact the donor if he is interested.

They hope they can meet him. Kelli said she is curious about who her donor is.

Josie said Kelli was considered a model patient for a bone marrow transplant.

"She was the first kid to be released from the hospital with no IV fluids, earlier than normal," Josie said.

Kelli is now taking 11 medications each day, compared with the 55 she used to take. She said it feels good to reach the one-year mark of her diagnosis.

Next year, Kelli will be able to attend school again. She missed some school during her time in treatment and is finishing the fourth grade through home school.

Kelli was required to wait a year after the transplant to attend school, as her immune system needs to recover. Her diet is different after the transplant. She cannot drink soda or eat soft-serve ice-cream from a machine because the machine cannot be cleaned well enough for her system to handle. The vegetables she eats must be washed thoroughly because of pesticides used on them. Everything must be cooked well. She cannot eat at buffets, and if she eats at a restaurant she needs her own condiment bottles.

Kelli said she feels better than she used to.

Without the support of the community, Josie said her family wouldn't be doing as well.

"It's helped financially, emotionally," she said.

In February 2007, Kelli's fourth-grade peers at Peninsula Elementary School wrote a song for Kelli titled, "Life is a Great Big Canvas."

The words were put to music and recorded onto a CD by entertainment duo Cowboy Buck & Elizabeth. Students performed the song, which was recorded on DVD so Kelli could view it.

Josie said Kelli viewed the recording on Valentine's Day, after she emerged from a coma-like state. She had been in that state for eight or nine hours.

The school also held fund-raisers for Kelli's family.

In addition to receiving support from the Moses Lake community, the family received fund-raising support from Grand Coulee, where Josie is from.

Their family knows another family who is unable to find a donor for their son.

"Hopefully, the kid we know now, will have a chance to be on the road to recovery," Kelli said.