More than 10 transfusions: St. Louis girl’s leukemia fight highlights need for donors

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Katie and Mark Travis had a unique wedding in the Jacks Fork River in Eminence, Missouri, in the heart of the Ozarks. Katie wore a wedding dress. Mark wore swim trunks.

“We decided that weekend, if we were blessed with a girl, we would name her Eminence because it’s a very special place for us,” Katie explained.

Eminence, Emi for short, is 6 years old. At 2, Emi was diagnosed with autism.

“For being low-verbal autistic, she doesn’t have many words, but she communicates with us in her own language,” Katie said.

While navigating her autism journey and getting more blood tests, some of those results came back concerning.

“About a week before we found out, I came up to the bedroom, broke down, told her my fears, it’s like I already knew,” Mark said.

A call from St. Louis Children’s Hospital last July confirmed their fears.

“She said, ‘Katie, I’m so sorry, Emi has leukemia,’ and I was like, what?” Katie recalled.

Chemotherapy and blood transfusions

There was no time to process the news. The family immediately packed up and drove 175 miles from their home in Bloomington to St. Louis and started Emi’s two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy treatments.

“From the very first blood transfusion, remember thinking we were so lucky, so grateful to have clean, tested blood products available for her,” Katie said.

The family is now sharing on social media with hopes of helping other families facing the same situations and shining a light on the American Red Cross. Emi has had more than 10 blood transfusions.

“Ever since the first one, which was maybe 10 months ago, I’ve had so much gratitude for donors because they are literally saving our little girl,” Katie said.

The Travis family met donor Rick Keating for the first time. Keating donates platelets with the Red Cross every two weeks.

“It’s overwhelming, really, I know platelets are life-saving, it’s why I do it, but to put a face to a person, especially a young face,” Keating said.

“Blood can go to accident victims or someone having surgery, my understanding is 50% of platelet donations go to cancer patients,” he said.

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood or platelets.

“When she smiles, we soak it in, and we are like, look, look, look, or if she says something cute. But it is insane, indescribable what it is like, we have changed in so many ways, we are different people,” Katie said.

Almost a year into chemotherapy, neither parent can work. Emi requires round-the-clock care. Their mission is to make every day meaningful for their daughter, the one named after their favorite place in the world.

Click here to learn more about Embracing Emi.

Click here for more on the Greater St. Louis Chapter of the American Red Cross.