Meghan Jenkins was juggling the joyful chaos of life with her toddler, Malachi. Curious, energetic and always on the move, he was fascinated by the world around him. He adored the Miami Dolphins, filled his days with dinosaurs and monster trucks, and was beginning to adjust to day care as Jenkins returned to work after taking a year away. Their days were hectic, but they were happy.
Then, in March 2021, Jenkins began to notice troubling changes. Malachi seemed unusually tired and sluggish, and a cough that would not go away lingered for days. When he vomited one day, her concern deepened. Moments later, while changing his diaper, she saw black stool — a warning sign that sent her and Malachi rushing to the emergency room.
From there, Jenkins said, everything escalated fast. Malachi was soon “connected to all these cords,” and hospital staff mentioned that he might need a blood transfusion. As the hours dragged on without clear answers, Jenkins’ fear mounted. Eventually, her son was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit, where doctors ordered a bone marrow biopsy.
The answer came when a doctor finally sat Jenkins down: Malachi had acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
“In that moment, you question God. You ask him ‘Why did this happen?’” Jenkins said. “I was so lost. This was my only child. I was young still, going through life, trying to figure things out. And then I had a big hit.”
Meghan Jenkins
What is acute lymphoblastic leukemia?
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, commonly known as ALL, is a rare form of cancer that begins in the bone marrow, according to the American Cancer Society’s website. Roughly 6,100 new cases of ALL are diagnosed each year, according to the American Cancer Society. Children younger than 5 face the highest risk of developing the disease.
ALL is an aggressive cancer that causes the body to produce immature white blood cells. In Malachi’s case, his white blood cell count was more than 10 times the normal level. Those abnormal cells were pushing out healthy ones, compromising his immune system and leaving his body unable to properly fight infections.
Because acute lymphoblastic leukemia can spread rapidly, it may affect the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, other organs and the central nervous system. With a disease that progresses so quickly, doctors say prompt treatment is critical.
Malachi was already “quite sick” when he was diagnosed, said Dr. Julio Barredo, the director of pediatric cancer programs at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. She started Malachi on chemotherapy immediately.
Treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia
For the first month of treatment, Malachi was hospitalized. The first weeks of chemotherapy are intense, so staying in the hospital is often safer, said pediatric hematologist Dr. Aditi Dhir. Malachi had side effects including nausea and fatigue. He regressed in his potty training. Jenkins needed to wear gloves to hold him because of his compromised immune system. The toddler milestones she’d expected to celebrate were nowhere to be seen.
“There were days I didn’t even think I was going to go on, but I had to,” Jenkins said. “It was stressful. It was depressing, constantly being in there.”
Meghan Jenkins
Still, the chemotherapy was clearly helping Malachi, Dhir said. She recalled seeing him run around the PICU within a week of starting treatment. Barredo said that Malachi handled the chemotherapy “as well as anybody could have handled it given the circumstances.”
After the first month, Malachi continued chemotherapy at home. He took eight medications a day, Jenkins said, and spent several days a week in the hospital. Next came the “maintenance” phase, Barredo said. During this time, Malachi remained on oral medication and only needed to go to the hospital every few weeks, Dhir explained. The maintenance phase lasted for two years.
Finally, in August 2023, “the storm blew over,” Jenkins said. Malachi was able to ring the bell that signified the completion of cancer treatment.
“You can’t tell he ever had leukemia”
Today, Malachi is a “very loving” 7-year-old who excels in school, takes gifted classes and regularly appears on the honor roll, Jenkins said. He still cheers for the Dolphins and plays with dinosaurs and trucks. He’s become a big reader and loves to share fun facts.
Most importantly, he is in remission. With acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the highest risk of relapse is within the first year of completing therapy, Barredo said. Malachi passed that milestone with flying colors. There’s “some risk” of relapse in the second year, Barredo said, but Malachi and Jenkins marked that in August without incident. After two years, it “is quite unusual” for an ALL patient to relapse, Barredo said. Malachi has outperformed his initial prognosis, and the success of his treatment means “his life expectancy is like that of any other kid his age.”
Meghan Jenkins
“You look at him, you can’t tell he ever had leukemia,” Barredo said. “For all practical purposes, he is pretty much cured at this point in time. … He’ll be able to do whatever he wants to do.”
Malachi’s immune system remains compromised, Jenkins said, but she hopes to build it up so can have a normal childhood going forward. The family is looking forward to “finally blossoming” after the years of treatment and trauma.
“This whole process was very hard. It’s still hard. I have moments sometimes where I’m in shock, like I don’t believe we went through this or this even happened,” Jenkins said. “But there is a brighter situation. Every situation doesn’t have this outcome. But there are brighter outcomes. There are happier days than just being in the hospital and being sad.”
