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Two days after Christmas.
Eight o’clock at night, to be more precise. Aubrey Thomason, just 10 years old, suddenly couldn’t move her arms and lost feeling in her legs.
Aubrey’s dad Patrick put her in the car outside their Ridge home and rushed her to the emergency room at Stony Brook University Hospital. Before the night was out, she was admitted to Stony Brook Children’s pediatric intensive care unit.
Blood tests had shown signs of leukemia.
“At that moment, we all broke down crying because we would never expect this to happen to our child,” Patrick Thomason told GreaterLongIsland.com. “As a parent, I’ve been staying strong and positive because Aubrey watches our emotions.”
A bone marrow biopsy confirmed doctors’ suspicions: The little girl was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a fast-moving blood cancer.
Aubrey has since spent most of the last three months at Stony Brook. Thomason said his daughter is in the hospital this week for a second round of chemotherapy.
For Aubrey, an honor roll student who plays softball in the Longwood Youth Sports Association, it will be continuous cycles of three weeks in the hospital and one week at home — possibly lasting four more months.
“Although the loss of hair from the chemo has been hard on her, we have found ways to cope with what’s happening,” Thomason said. “This has taken a toll mentally and financially on me and my family, but we have been able to get through it.”
One hobby that has kept Aubrey smiling is Lego building. She’s been building while in the hospital and her masterpieces have been highlighted on Stony Brook Children’s Instagram page.
“Meet 10-year-old Aubrey, #StonyBrook Children’s # Lego builder extraordinaire!” the hospital post reads.
“Building legos is one of Aubrey’s favorite hobbies,” Patrick Thomason said. “She is considered in my eyes, a Lego master.”
Thomason said his daughter also takes on other arts and crafts projects to constructively pass the time while inside the hospital. Additionally, she watches her favorite shows — “SpongeBob, “The Loud House,” and “Stranger Things” among them.
Aubrey’s parents — Patrick and her mother Melissa, along with her step-parents Jennifer and Mark — have been by her side from the minute she was brought to the hospital.
Aubrey’s aunt Nicole Luckert established a GoFundMe page to assist the family with the financial burdens of Aubrey’s diagnosis.
“They intend to be there (with Aubrey) every step of the way,” Luckert wrote. “Unfortunately, that will result in missing some work, and endless medical bills and expenses that are sure to be coming their way.
“Worrying about money should never be added to the already high stress level and trauma of having a sick child,” she added.
The fundraiser has garnered 271 donations totaling more than $18,000.
Top photo: GoFundMe
