16 hours Ago By Frankie McLister
Raising twins is tough, and it gets harder when they have an identical health battle. That's the reality for a southern Minnesota family who says their twins were both diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia after birth. One of them remains in remission to this day.
and the other, sadly passed after a relapse. Meet the Breyfogle's—Abby, Aaron, Teagan, Kendal, Kenedi and Huxley or "Hux." "When Kenedi and Kendal were first born, we noticed spots on their skin.
We took them in, got the spots, through dermatology, looked at. They told us they had acute AML," said Aaron Breyfogle. After half a year in the hospital with rounds of chemotherapy, both were declared in remission.
Months after the declaration, the family received an unfortunate update. "Kendal was a little over a year and a half when she ended up relapsing," said Aaron Breyfogle. But the treatments didn't work this time.
"She ultimately ended up passing away in September of 2017," said Aaron Breyfogle, causing a lifetime void. "It affects you in ways you didn't think about. No one is a parent of a child with cancer until the day they're diagnosed.
" Now, researchers at the University of Minnesota say they've made progress. "AML tends to be a little more difficult to treat," said Dr. Alex Hoover , who works in Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at the University of Minnesota.
Kenedi Breyfogle and twin sister Kendal were diagnosed with leukemia just months after being born. Only Kenedi survived..
. With help from the Children's Cancer Research Fund, Hoover says they're about to embark on a new clinical study that could help in Kendal's case, showcasing a new form of less-toxic treatment. "The primary treatment will be this cell product that doesn't have side effects," said Hoover.
The treatment, he says, would kill cancer cells with barely any chemo. "These cells know where to hone to, they go and find the markers on the cancer cells we are looking for," said Hoover. Today, Kenedi Breyfogle remains strong.
"Every year you have follow ups and you get PTSD," Aaron Breyfogle added. "These kids have a lot of life to live". Abby Breyfogle works for a nonprofit aiming to find the cure.
For anyone going through a similar journey, the couple has published a journal as a resource. Frankie McLister, originally from Middletown, Maryland, holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism..
