When a young Abby Furco was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at just 4 years old, it changed the life of her and her family forever. Not only had her life just been flipped upside down, but her mother Patty, father Joe, and sisters Emily and Maggie’s lives were flipped with it. Through the next 10 years, the Furco family would face countless hospital visits, lab tests, bad news, good news, and a whole lot more.
Maggie, her older sister, was there from the start. In the background of all the chaos, Maggie was the silent warrior through Abby’s journey. Maggie endured a different type of struggle, one that not many people tend to think about when they consider families with young children with cancer. Even though she was just a regular and healthy kid, her life suddenly became far from normal.
Abby’s Story
Although ALL is typically a very curable cancer, Abby was diagnosed with ALL PH+, or the Philadelphia Chromosome complication. Her survival rate dropped from 90% to 33%, putting even more stress on her doctors and family. While on her journey she faced graft vs host disease, a relapse, a bone marrow transplant, and many other complications and infections involving her kidneys, liver, and heart.
Despite the struggles she faced, Abby fought stronger than anyone ever imagined. Even back in 2016 when her condition deteriorated to the point where doctors gave her 24-48 hours to live, she beat all odds and her condition made a miraculous recovery. In years after, she fought every health battle head-on, all with a smile on her face.
In October 2021, due to some residual heart problems, Abby underwent surgery for an LVAD heart pump. During recovery, her pump sent a massive clot to her brain, causing her to suffer a severe stroke. She never regained consciousness, and a few weeks later, surrounded by her family, she peacefully passed away. Abby was an incredible fighter.
Life in the background as a sibling
Abby’s older sister Maggie was there for her whole journey. She was 6 when Abby received her diagnosis and is now 17 and a senior in high school. Throughout Abby’s intense journey, Maggie’s life was far from normal. She was always babysat when her parents had to be at the hospital, always thinking about her sister while trying to concentrate on school, and always taking care of herself when her parents already had enough on their plate.
With her dad being in the US Navy and frequently being deployed or in training, she was often on her own. She started packing her own school lunches as a fourth-grader and was always helping her little sister Emily, all while balancing school, running as a competitive track/cross country athlete, and participating in extracurricular choirs and groups. Maggie had to be there for everyone, including herself, when nobody else was, and she had to grow up at twice the speed of other kids. When her classmates’ parents could attend every single school event, Maggie’s parents couldn’t.
Despite the far-from-normal childhood that Maggie endured growing up, she rose to the occasion and never once complained. She helped, cooked, cleaned, and did whatever she could do to help her family. She maintained a positive outlook on life always and cherished every moment that she and her family could all be together. Her strength and courage brought the Furco family together, and she remains strong even after the passing of her sister.
“Family is the most important, through everything.”
Maggie Furco