By KELLY COOPER
The Enterprise
Whenever Renee England, 15, and her mother, Colette England, go to Doernbecher Children's Hospital for Renee's bi-monthly checkup they visit the critical care ward on the 10th floor where Renee spent seven months fighting for her life.
Renee knows the pain and fear of having a life-threatening disease and how hard it is to imagine being healthy again. She and her mother also remember the surge of hope they felt when former patients visited the ward. These smiling survivors were living proof that it was possible to overcome the odds and return to a normal life.
Now Renee gives that same boost to other children when she visits and tells them, "I was in your spot once, and if I can get well so can you."
Renee's own struggle for survival began in the fall of 2001 when she came down with a virulent strain of the flu shortly after starting eighth-grade.
"I had terrible stomach aches," said Renee. "We thought it was the flu, but it just got worse."
It was indeed the flu, but further diagnosis revealed a far more serious disease, acute mylogenous leukemia. Renee was admitted to Doernbecher in October 2001. And so began a nearly one year ordeal for the England family.
The only known cure for leukemia is a bone marrow transplant. There is a 25 percent chance of finding a perfect match and a 65 percent chance that a perfect match will be successful.
Mitchell England, Renee's brother and now a senior at Columbia High School, was a perfect match. Renee received five and a half cups of bone marrow extracted from her brother's hip in a six hour operation performed on February 21, 2002.
Through the long months a continuous stream of friends and their parents kept Renee's spirits up.
"They brought me everything I could possibly have wanted or imagined," she said. "It was amazing."
Sometimes she was too sick to do anything except have her hand held, but she said softly, "I always knew when someone was there."
It seemed to Colette that many patients from larger communities got lost in the shuffle. "Their (other patient's) families were there, but it wasn't the same as having a whole community behind you," said Colette.
Friends responded quickly with a Haunted House benefit raising more than $1,700. In all, more that $2,000 was donated to help the family.
Steve England, Renee's father, works for the railroad spending many nights away from home. This meant Mitchell, then 16, was often on his own while his sister and mother were at Doernbecher.
"Everyone invited Mitchell over," said Colette, "He was welcome anywhere for dinner. Once one of the moms asked him, 'Mitchell, what do you need?' and Mitchell said, half joking, 'Well, I need a pumpkin pie.' In a day or two, there was a pumpkin pie in our fridge for Mitchell."
"People did thousands of things for us," said Colette. "Many people gave us things you don't think of."
Some of these unexpected gifts included Hunsaker Oil's generous reduction in the families gas bill. Someone else donated a file cabinet to help keep the growing mountain of medical paperwork organized.
When Renee was allowed to leave the hospital following the transplant she still needed to visit up to six times a day. The Hood River Inn made arrangements for the Englands to stay at a motel near Doernbecher at a bargain rate.
In late April 2002 Renee was released from the hospital and came home to White Salmon. She was able to graduate eighth-grade with her class and spoke to her friends and the community at the ceremony. In her speech, she talked about having a deeper awareness of the value of friends, health, family, and the power of prayer.
"At first they didn't think I was going to be able to go to high school for the first semester of ninth-grade because of my low immunity level," said Renee, "but my mom thought it was healthier for me to go to school than to stay at home."
Her doctor agreed. So nearly one year after the devastating diagnosis Renee began her freshman year at CHS. She was determined not to get sick.
"In fact," said Colette, "after we got home everyone in the family got sick except her. Now her immunity level is at the low end of normal."
Renee pointed out she had gotten a case of the shingles in February, one of the side effects of chemotherapy.
Last year Renee played on the basketball team, surprising her friends, as well as her doctors, with her vitality level.
This June she participated with her family in a 20- and 40-mile dirt bike endurance race and poker ride. Other activities include water skiing, horseback riding and, of course, hanging out with those friends whom she values even more since her illness.
This fall she will be on the cheerleading squad. She'll also be secretary for the Associated Student Government. She's looking forward to her 16th birthday on Valentines Day and turning in her learners permit for a license.
Renee said she hasn't decided on a career goal yet, but is considering broadcasting or nursing as two possibilities.
"Everyone is still really caring," said Renee. "Even though it's all over, they still want to know how I'm doing."
Graceful, tan, and active, Renee England is doing much better than anyone expected just 18 months after her bone marrow transplant.
In fact, said Colette, "The last time we went for her check up the doctor said he wouldn't have recognized her if he hadn't known it was her."
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