ALISO VIEJO — Eight-year-old Bodhi Boul has weathered the storm – hopefully for good.
The Oak Grove Elementary School second-grader is in full remission after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Oct. 1, 2018, and her classmates stepped up to the plate to help her during her battle with the disease.
Her teacher, Leanne Higgins, and mom, Emily Boul, came up with an idea to put together toys, hats, and other items for the other kids visiting the clinic where she’d received treatment. It was a hit.
As a result of their efforts, the class collected enough to fill 17 boxes with various items that Bodhi and her mom delivered to the clinic at Kaiser Permanente’s Anaheim Medical Center earlier this month.
When Bodhi returned to school this past October after a year of being home-tutored, her classmates welcomed her return.
“Bodhi’s classmates welcomed her with a huge, pink poster and lots of smiles, Higgins said. “The children from the class showed such kindness on her return and we’re so excited to have her in class. I thought it was cute that they wanted to explain every classroom procedure and what she had missed, all on her first day back.”
“I was already excited to return to school,” Bodhi recalled. “But when I saw the welcome sign for me I was really surprised and felt so much love and support from everyone.”
That was when Higgins decided to do something for kids like Bodhi.
“I was so proud of Bodhi’s fantastic attitude and perseverance through her cancer journey. This inspired me to think about how to spread the kindness within our classroom and tie it in with awareness that many local children, just like themselves, go through challenging times like Bodhi,” she said.
During conference time, Higgins asked Emily Boul if there was anything the class could do as a team to support Bodhi and other children fighting pediatric cancers.
“Mom and Bodhi agreed that we could donate items to brighten the days of kids who spend sometimes full days receiving their treatments at Kaiser in Anaheim,” Higgins continued. “Over the next couple of months, we watched a Reading Rainbow episode of the book, “Boxes for Katje,” by Candace Fleming – a story about an American girl sending much-needed supplies during difficult times to families in Europe.”
The class also read a “Time for Kids” magazine that spoke about a company called The Birthday Party Project that provided birthday parties to underprivileged children.
“I then spoke to the class on how we could make a difference ourselves. We decided to donate Bodhi Boxes. Bodhi let us know what things the children might enjoy, and our class began to donate.
“In no time at all, we had filled 17 joyful boxes full of beanies, slime, Legos, toy cars, stuffed animals and more to send to the treatment clinic with Bodhi. What an amazing feeling,” Higgins said.
Bodhi said working on the boxes was fun because she knew first-hand the comfort it would bring to other kids. “I hope the Bodhi Boxes will help other kids to know that they are loved.”
A positive attitude
Bodhi experienced most of the common byproducts of cancer treatment, including throwing up in the car to and from chemotherapy and a few ER visits to quell a common fever.
For many pediatric cancer patients, losing their hair is also one of the most difficult side effects. But Bodhi — who was 7 at the time and lost her hair twice — said the hardest part of her battle wasn’t what you’d typically expect. For Bodhi, a competitive cheer athlete and skateboarder, it was not being able to go to school and enjoy the sports and activities she loves.
Emily Boul, who works as a dental assistant added, “we expected challenges, but one of the most difficult for us was having to rush to the ER for even a slight fever, no matter the time of day or night.”
While fever reducers are fine for healthy kids, pediatric cancer patients must get blood drawn, swabbed inside their nose, see a doctor, and sometimes spend one or more nights in the hospital until the fever breaks.
But Bodhi and her mom, dad Bruce, a communications director for an architectural firm, and 10-year-old brother Zephyr, who reside in Aliso Viejo, accepted their new normal with love, compassion, and a positive mental attitude — persevering even when the road was bumpy.
Bad news
Emily Boul said her daughter’s cancer journey began when she noticed Bodhi had a bad bruise on her knee. She didn’t think much of it at the time because of Bodhi’s active lifestyle. But over the next few days, bruises appeared on Bodhi’s back, forearm and shin, seemingly without cause. Her mother decided to take her to the ER.
The doctor examined Bodhi and since the bruises were not painful to the touch, as typical bruises resulting from the injury do, he suggested they draw blood to see what might be going on inside.
After about an hour, the doctor returned with a look of concern, Emily Boul recalled. He explained that Bodhi’s white blood cell count was extremely high and that she would need to see a pediatric doctor right away because it could be leukemia.
“That’s when the world stopped turning and I began to spin,” she said.
Bodhi would need a month of heavy steroids, numerous whole blood transfusions as well as platelets and a couple more trips to the ER, cranial radiation x8, chemotherapies and multiple lumbar punctures to check her bone marrow and spinal fluid.
She spent her first-grade year being tutored at home by her teacher, Jennifer Lybrand.
About 98% of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia go into remission within weeks of treatment. Though the cure rate is a very high — 90% — it’s still a 2 1/2 year journey. Bodhi is now in the maintenance phase, which doesn’t come with the side effects that the more aggressive earlier treatments do.
Today, the 8-year-old is studying hard and is active again. She is in her third year as a flyer on the OC Allstars competitive cheer team and recently returned from a competition in Las Vegas.
Bruce Boul said they weren’t about to let Bodhi’s diagnosis stop their family from having fun, smiling and laughing, and being who they are — a positive and happy family.
“Though we had to adapt to a new normal, it was important to Emily and me to keep things as normal as possible for our kids and ourselves,” he said.
According to both parents, Bodhi rarely complained. She approached her treatment responsibly, knowing when to take her medicine and being prepared for visits to the clinic.
I couldn’t be prouder to be her mom,” Emily Boul said. “She has been a true champion, has given us all overflowing strength, and there is absolutely no doubt that this experience is (and will continue to) shape her to become a strong, positive, and compassionate human being who will do something absolutely outstanding with her life.”
