The Perspective: Ringing the bell after 880 days of cancer treatment

  By Alexandra Turco, SickKids patient

My name is Alexandra Turco and I am 15 years old. I was diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at only 13 years old in 2022 and was treated at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). I endured 880 days of treatment that involved many cycles of chemotherapy, monthly lumbar punctures, a feeding tube and countless blood transfusions. 

As you can imagine, before my diagnosis I was like any other teen girl. I loved animals and making people laugh. I went to school every day and then returned home to my mom, dad, sister and dog. I did co-curriculars like dance and gymnastics and hung out with friends on weekends. Everything was normal until I got cancer. As soon as I heard the words “you have cancer” a series of questions entered my brain: how did this happen? Did I do something? What’s going to happen now? 

Behind all those thoughts, when my oncologist first told me I had cancer, the first worry that was larger than all the others was I’m going to die. I began to think of what my life would be like without my family, friends and pets. I couldn’t even imagine it. I knew the journey ahead of me would be difficult, but I definitely wasn’t prepared for all the unwanted surprises ahead of me. 

The team at SickKids is like no other. I constantly felt hopeless and sad every time I stepped into the hospital, but the nurses and doctors brought big smiles to my face on extremely hard days. Even in times when I was being stubborn and just wanted to go home, they were patient with me and gave me a plan for how the rest of the day would go so I wouldn’t feel as anxious. 

For me, port-a-cath (a central line used to give intravenous fluids and medications) accesses were the most stressful part of the whole journey. The thought of a thick needle entering my chest and the possibility of it hurting always freaked me out. But during every port access, my nurses would talk to me and I would catch them up on everything going on in my life. The best way I could describe it was like a FaceTime with a friend. Shoutout to Nicole, Daniela and Qi for making every port access so entertaining!

We talked about school and movies and shows I was watching at the time, but the main topic of conversation was my horses. In my free time I do horseback riding, and all of the nurses knew about Snickers (my horse at the time). I was more than disappointed when I found out I couldn’t ride because of complications with my spleen, so talking about it made me feel like it was still part of my life even though I had to hit pause. 

Thankfully, I was still able to spend time with animals even when admitted to the hospital. St John Ambulance Therapy Dogs made heavy treatment days so much brighter. Every time I saw a dog in some wing of the hospital, I would stop and pet them for at least 10 minutes! I am so glad I had the chance to be around animals because they have a special way of making people feel better! Especially for me! 

I returned back to school full time last year, and in May I had the opportunity to speak and share my story at a school run event called Relay For Life. This is where a group of schools come together to advocate, raise awareness and fundraise for cancer research. When I was first asked to speak, I declined the offer. But as time went by, I started to realize how important my voice could be. I began to know more and more teens my age affected by cancer and it made me want to speak up. I received so much love and support from the community after my speech and I felt so proud of myself for the impact I had made. We ended up raising over $330,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society! 

Fast forward to July and I have finally rung the bell to signify the end of my treatment! I felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude standing there as my clinical team and family gathered around me clapping and cheering. It was a day I had been looking forward to since the beginning and one I will never forget.  

If I had any advice for teens affected by cancer, it would be that despite our age, we are still so strong. Lean on someone who lifts you up and never underestimate yourself. Keep persevering and always have hope. We are so much stronger than we think. It seemed almost impossible in the beginning, but with perseverance, courage and bravery, I was able to come out on top.