Hi! Our names are Ian and Maya Diaz. The day after Christmas, our dad was diagnosed with a very rare and dangerous type of Leukemia called APL. APL stands for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. APL is most common in people of Latin origin. APL is caused by a genetic malfunction. That is, two chromosomes (15 and 17) break and translocate, which is what causes the leukemia. It is called acute because the onset is so rapid and aggressive. In our dad's case, he had no warning signs at all! On December 22, a weird bruise appeared on his arm. The next day, another one appeared and the third one appeared on December 26 after he and my mom had gone to the gym. He went in for lab work at 6pm on the 26th and by 8pm he was admitted to the hospital. By 11pm that night, a group of oncologists were breaking the really bad news to my parents. APL is both the worst and the best type of leukemia to have. Many patients die within the first few weeks of being diagnosed because they bleed to death internally. That is what was happening to our dad. It is one of the best leukemias to have because there is hope of being cured! Our dad spent 6 weeks in the hospital for his induction treatment and now he is in what is called the consolidation round.The treatment is 28 weeks of Monday through Friday chemo for 4 weeks followed by a break of 4 weeks and then back on for 4 weeks. His treatment consists of two chemo drugs called arsenic and ATRA. The arsenic is given through the port in his chest and that is the daily drug. The ATRA is in pill form and he takes 10 a day for 2 weeks on then 2 weeks off.The hardest part for us is that he and my mom are gone daily for 4-5 hours at the cancer center. We volunteer when we can by taking healthy snacks and juices to the other patients in treatment.To support our dad, we wanted to create a website to support Leukemia awareness. To raise money, we have the pay pal donation link and we have made some fun t-shirts, bracelets, charms, earrings and stickers to sell and support the cause. Orange is the American Cancer Society color for leukemia. We hope to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society with the money we raise and our mom plans to run a marathon as well to raise money for research. Our information comes from our dad's oncologists at SCOA in South Carolina, Emory Winship Cancer Center in Atlanta and from the LLS. Remember, be proud to wear orange and support leukemia awareness!