Bettendorf kindergartner fights back from leukemia

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By Deirdre Cox Baker | Friday, September 12, 2008 8:35 AM CDT | () comments

Jeff Cook/QUAD-CITY TIMES Kelsey Behnke concentrates on cutting seven paper candles during a math lesson in her kindergarten class at Riverdale Heights Elementary School. Buy this Photo

Kelsey Behnke’s got a spring to her step these days. Kindergarten is going great for the engaging youngster, and the 5-year-old feels pretty good, too.

That wouldn’t be noteworthy except that Kelsey takes cancer treatments at home every night.

But it appears Kelsey soon will be free of the leukemia she has fought for two years. January 2009 is forecast to be the date of her last chemotherapy treatment, her mother, Danielle Behnke, said.

Things are going much more smoothly these days for the Bettendorf family. Chad and Danielle, who have a younger daughter named Avery in addition to Kelsey, have experienced some difficult times.

“For eight months, it was gut-wrenching terrible,” said Chad, who never dreamed his active child would become so ill.

The kind of leukemia that Kelsey was diagnosed with originally put her in the medical high-risk category. Luckily, she responded well to treatment, but the girl spent 100 days in the hospital over an eight-month period.

Bloody nose, aches

Kelsey had just begun preschool when her temperature kept spiking. “We thought it was chicken pox,” her mother said. The toddler complained of leg aches, her parents noticed that bruises appeared mysteriously and she suddenly had nosebleeds with regularity.

She came home sick the Friday before Labor Day 2006. Her doctor knew the probable cause almost immediately, Danielle said, and sent the family to Genesis Medical Center for a blood test. The doctor visited the Behnkes there and immediately ordered them to go to the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital in Iowa City.

The Behnkes stayed in Iowa City for a week. Two-year-old Avery was cared for by family members back in the Quad-Cities. Danielle is originally from Davenport, and Chad had moved to the region from Dubuque, Iowa.

Kelsey developed a fungus in her lungs and came down with a terrible case of the flu, both of which resulted from the ensuing cancer treatment.

“It was really a bad time,” Danielle said.

Loves school

Kelsey missed preschool almost all of that first year, but she got to attend for several days as a 4-year-old. She recently began kindergarten at Riverdale Heights Elementary School in Bettendorf.

“She loves it,” Danielle said. “The teachers have been wonderful and very accommodating. Kelsey gets to nap when she feels tired, and that is generally in the afternoon when the other children are in gym or music.”

The girl still goes to Iowa City once each month for blood work and gets a spinal tap every three months. She takes special chemotherapy medicine at home every night, but doctors think that regimen will wrap up after the first of the year.

“My girls have grown up so fast in the last two years it’s unbelievable,” said Danielle, who is expecting a third child. “They both know so much for their age.”

Kelsey was bald for seven months due to her cancer treatment, but her hair has grown back and is a little curlier. “That first year, she didn’t grow at all, she lost a lot of weight and looked like a skeleton,” Danielle said. The girl is now about average in size for her age.

Ways to cope

The Behnkes use the Care Pages online support system for people going through a crisis situation. That has been helpful, Danielle said. She began using the service four days after Kelsey was diagnosed.

The Care Pages log will show the youngster what she accomplished, especially during the most difficult days. “It will be a wonderful thing for her to see later on,” her mother said.

Kelsey has been able to travel a bit this year, and the family went to Disney World with the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They also have visited Adventureland in Des Moines and Fun City in Burlington, Iowa.

Kelsey is a mascot for Teens in Training and helps promote the University of Iowa Dance Marathon as well as Make-A-Wish. She will celebrate her sixth birthday in December.

Deirdre Cox Baker can be contacted at (563) 383-2492 or dbaker@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.

‘Light the Night’ planned for Oct. 4

Kelsey Behnke and her family will be among those participating in Light the Night, an event to pay tribute and bring hope to those who battle cancer.

The event is Oct. 4 at Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport. Festivities, including food, music, a silent auction and family fun, will start at 5:30 p.m. with a special walk beginning by 7:30 p.m.

Participants will carry illuminated balloons — white for survivors and red for supporters — and walk a 1- or 2-mile path. The walk does not require a certain amount of fitness, organizers said.

Light the Night is an activity of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which is devoted to fighting blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.

For more information or to register over the phone, call Jessica Reiter-Flax, the Light the Night coordinator for eastern Iowa, at (877) 339-0072. Register online at lightthenight.org/ia.