What is Leukemia?

Leukemia is cancer of the blood. There are several types of leukemia that one could acquire. Blood “consist of plasma and three types of cells: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets”(Peacock6). White blood cells fight viruses and bacteria. Red blood cells carry oxygen to all the cells of the body; if you cut yourself platelets in your blood is what stops the bleeding. Most of the body’s blood cells are made in the bone marrow. Leukemia is where the body produces immature white blood cells. This can affect people in different ways. If the leukemia cells flood the bone marrow and crowed the red blood cells then the blood gets thin; thin blood can not give all the cells in the body the oxygen they need to function. The number of platelets in the body would drop so it would be hard for the body to stop a cut or nose from bleeding. This is very sad because children with leukemia would be sick all of the time and would not be able to run around with all of the other kids. It is not fair that they would not be able to fight off the infections or viruses the other kids had, and could not be exposed to them. If you looked very pale, since their blood is so thin, you would be sad because you were different from everyone else. Young leukemia patients get frequent nose bleeds and bruise easily which just adds onto the stress that they have to go through. This would also bring the realization that they could very easily get sick and die, and that’s why they have to live such a careful and sheltered life. Which what kid wants to be careful? Kids want to run around being wild climbing trees. Kids always blame theirselves so they would wonder why this happened to them and what did they do to cause it.

Peacock , Judith. Leukemia. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press, 2000. 64. Print.