Event at Comeback Inn on Friday benefits infant with cancer

When Maleena Hill was born in November, her parents, Jeff and Natalie, showered her with kisses, teddy bears, and their love. They reveled in the miracle of being blessed with a second child, and life was good.

All too soon, their lives were upended. At first, Maleena began spiking a fever and was given to fits of fussiness. After a brief trip to the emergency room, she was given a clean bill of health and released. But the night after Christmas, her parents saw disconcerting and inexplicable signs of something more serious.

“There was discoloration on her feet, which indicates a low platelet count causing bruising, so we took her to her pediatrician who sent us immediately to emergency. A few hours later, we knew,” Jeff said.

The battery of medical tests showed what her parents feared most: cancer. The infant was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a fast-growing cancer of the white blood cells.

According to the National Marrow Donor Program, lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell that the body uses to fight infections. In ALL, the bone marrow makes significant numbers of unformed cells, called blasts, that normally would develop into lymphocytes. However, the blasts are abnormal. They do not develop and cannot fight infections.

“The prognosis for kids in the ideal range is a 94 percent survival rate, but at Maleena’s age, she’s a high-risk patient. Her immune system is limited and compromised,” Jeff said.

Both Natalie and Jeff were compelled to forego certain job responsibilities to focus on Maleena’s recovery. Natalie, who works for a payroll company, recently took an indefinite leave of absence. Jeff, a special education teacher at Huron Valley Milford High School and a former head football coach, stepped down from his position as head football coach at Royal Oak High School.

Given the financial burden associated with medical costs, Jeff’s colleague, Jeanne Geraci, a Milford High School special education teacher, organized a fund-raiser to benefit the family.

On Friday, Jan. 27, a fund-raiser will be held at the Comeback Inn, located at 1451 S. Milford Road in Milford. The owners have committed to donating 10 percent of the entire’s day sales to the Hill family.

A silent auction will also be held from 3 to 8 p.m., and a fund to help offset the family’s financial burden has been created called the Maleena Hill Leukemia Fund.

Maleena was first admitted to William Beaumont Hospital before being transferred to Children’s Hospital on Dec. 30.

“We’re looking at 5 to 8 weeks in the hospital,” Jeff said. “She’s been receiving chemotherapy since the day she was diagnosed, Dec. 27.”

Maleena is scheduled to receive treatment each day for 35 days with a two-day reprieve.

“Changes are based on blood results, so after that we will figure out what the next treatment regimen is,” Jeff said.

Typically, girls with Maleena’s condition are expected to recover in 2 to 2.5 years.

“Natalie stays at the hospital every night during the week,” Geraci noted. “It’s hard for her to be there 24/7, so Jeff takes Thursdays and he’s there everyday after school, and weekends.”

“The care and treatment has been outstanding at this point,” Jeff said. “The doctors and nurses have been very compassionate and helped walk us through the first difficult days and laid out what the next few years would look like.”

Fortunately, extended family is close by to help care for the Hills’ eldest daughter, 7-year-old Macy.

“It was a big thing for Macy to have a little sister,” Jeff said. “She helped pick out Maleena’s name and picked out a light lavender for her room. ”

The emotionally and physically draining experience has been life-changing for the family. The Hills have a wide circle of family and friends to help support them through the tough times.

“There has been an outpouring of people that’s very overwhelming,” Jeff said. “It’s been an eye-opening experience to see the kindness in peoples’ hearts.”

The Hills hold onto hope and live under the banner of optimism everyday.

“We’re moving forward day-by-day, hour-by-hour,” Jeff said. “We’ve fallen into this rut of going to the hospital — that’s the new norm in life and you get adjusted pretty quickly.”

To view daily updates on Maleena’s condition and recovery, visit caringbridge.org.