Amanda, Peter, Esperanza and Anna Alcorta
Anna Alcorta will turn two years old at the end of this month and yet her little body has already experienced more than most adults go through in a lifetime. At just one and a half years old, Anna was diagnosed with Leukemia this past spring. Anna's mother, Amanda, took Anna and her older sister, Esperanza, to the family doctor with what she thought was just a common cold. Both girls were treated with antibiotics. Esperanza, got better, but Anna got worse. She had a high fever and she was lethargic. When Amanda took Anna back to the doctors for a follow up, they sent her to the emergency room. It was there that they saw an abnormality in Anna's blood and immediately flew her from Silver City, NM to the UNM Children's Hospital in Albuquerque, NM. Amanda had less than a few hours notice to get what she needed to fly her sick baby to another city to receive life-saving medical care.
When Anna arrived in Albuquerque she was hospitalized and immediately started receiving a blood transfusion and chemotherapy. After a few weeks in the Children's hospital, Anna was released to Casa Esperanza, where she has been living with her family ever since. Casa Esperanza provides people who live outside of the Albuquerque area a caring and supportive environment to stay in while they are in town for medical needs. Anna was able to leave the hospital and be in a room with her mother, father, and sister, all together... almost like home.
Even though she is no longer in the hospital, Anna still receives chemotherapy on a weekly basis and her mother gives her six different daily medications. Amanda said she had to quickly learn how to be Anna's nurse, as well as her mother. She said, €œIt's hard. At first, I didn't know what I was doing. Anna's body is just too small to be so sick. She's just a little baby. I never thought she would have such a big disease. € Amanda commented, €œEven in remission, Anna will always have this disease. It's not killing her, but she will always have cancer cells in her body. €
Despite this harsh reality, Amanda and her husband, Peter, continue to have optimism for their little girl. They said they are looking forward to the day when the doctors say Anna can go home. They said it helps to hear the stories of the other families staying at Casa Esperanza. Amanda commented, €œWe have so much support at Casa Esperanza. Things are hectic and stressful, but everyone here is always willing to talk and give me help with resources. € Amanda describe Casa Esperanza as providing her family with €˜overwhelming charity.' She said, €œI've always thrown my coins in the collection containers that you see around, but I've never really thought about how many lives that money touches and helps. But now I know that it touched our lives in a major way. € Both Amanda and Peter say they will always be grateful for the help they have received at Casa Esperanza during this difficult time in their lives.
Casa Esperanza is New Mexico's home away from home providing a caring community to support and serve families facing cancer. We provide appropriate housing and emotional support for patients and their families who reside temporarily in Albuquerque while the patient receives treatment. Casa Esperanza's families come to us from all backgrounds and income levels, but they share one thing in common - each family is facing fear and emotional upheaval. For more information on Casa Esperanza, please visit our website at www.casanm.org or call 505-246-2700 or 1-866-654-1338.