Eighteen-year-old Olivia Gil beat leukemia as a child. The blood cancer returned this year in a rare form, but thanks to a stem cell transplant from her brother, she intends to beat it again.
By Maureen Gilmer, Riley Children’s Health senior writer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
When she was just 6 years old, Olivia Gil waged her first war against cancer. She spent two years in treatment for acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) before getting back to the business of being a little girl.
Now 18, Olivia graduated from high school last spring, got her learner’s permit and had just been accepted into college when her life was turned upside down again.
She started experiencing light-headedness, shortness of breath and unusual knots on her legs last summer. The first hospital she went to referred her to a dermatologist, but her mom, Jillian Castillo, couldn’t shake the feeling that more was going on.
A couple trips to the emergency room followed, then Castillo and her daughter asked to be sent to Riley Hospital for Children, where Olivia had been treated as a little girl.
This time, Olivia was diagnosed with MPAL (mixed-phenotype acute leukemia), a rare combination of myeloid and lymphoid cancers that can be difficult to treat and accounts for just 2% to 5% of acute leukemia cases.
Walking back into the hospital where her daughter first battled cancer was hard, but Castillo wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“We love Riley,” she said.
And being reunited with oncologist Dr. Terry Vik was a blessing.
Dr. Vik, pictured here with a young Olivia and her brother Kevin, saw the Southside Indianapolis family through treatment more than a decade ago, and he was back at their side for this diagnosis.
“That’s why we decided to come back to Riley,” Castillo said. “He’s the best!”
Olivia went through two intense months of chemotherapy and multiple days of radiation, before undergoing a stem cell transplant to give her the best shot at beating the cancer.
With Dr. Jodi Skiles, director of pediatric stem cell transplant, by their side, Olivia received stem cells donated by her 17-year-old brother, Kevin, on Nov. 5.
“He had a lot of questions,” Castillo said, “but of course he was going to do it because it was his sister. He was super brave.”
He was also a little scared, naturally, as was Castillo, but the transplant went well. Kevin was home within a day, while Olivia remained at Riley for about five weeks as she recovered.
The siblings, who also have a younger brother, are very close, their mom said. In fact, she recreated a photo recently of a younger Olivia and Kevin, taken during Olivia’s first leukemia diagnosis. Both times, Kevin is walking with Olivia and helping her with her IV pole.
Olivia, who was discharged from Riley last week, spent Thanksgiving in the hospital – unable to eat – so she is looking forward to being home for Christmas, where she and the family expect to have a quiet day, playing games and enjoying good food, Castillo said.
Asked how she has dealt with this latest challenge in her health, Olivia said she doesn’t remember much from her first diagnosis, but she has felt connected to her care team at Riley and does what they tell her to do, including taking her medicine.
So far, test results have indicated that her brother’s healthy cells are growing in her, but the family is still awaiting results from a third test.
While they wait, they will enjoy being home together, taking one day at a time.
“Olivia is super strong. She always has been,” Castillo said. “She’s doing great.”
Photos submitted and by Maureen Gilmer, mgilmer1@iuhealth.org
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