Watching my granddaughter, 1, beat leukemia has given me the strength to fight my own breast cancer

A grandmother has opened up about her heartbreak after battling cancer with her granddaughter.

Alicia Fivecoat, 62, from Houston, Texas, was devastated when she was diagnosed with breast cancer late last year after discovering a mass the size of a golf ball under her arm.

Just as she began treatment in the new year, her emotions took another blow when she learned that her almost one-year-old granddaughter Whitney had also been diagnosed with blood cancer.

Over the next few months, Alicia and Whitney endured the brutal side effects of treatment and chemotherapy together, including losing their hair and developing extreme fatigue.

Due to the age difference and different needs, Alicia was treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center, while Whitney was admitted down the road at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Alicia told me Good morning America that the turn of events was ‘most surreal’.

Little Whitney’s leukemia diagnosis came about after her parents, Shelly (Alicia’s daughter) and Tyler McAfee, noticed some swelling and bruising around her eyes.

After taking her for a check-up, doctors discovered she had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which starts in the bone marrow and quickly moves into the blood.

The American Cancer Society notes that AML mainly occurs in adults over age 45, and the average age at diagnosis is 69 years.

Overall, approximately 20,800 people in the US are diagnosed with AML each year and it accounts for approximately one in three leukemias in adults.

As with adults, children are treated with chemo drugs until the bone marrow no longer shows leukemia cells.

During Whitney’s treatment, her parents had to stay with her in the hospital for more than 40 days.

This meant they had to combine hospital visits with coming home to care for their four-year-old son.

Fortunately, friends and family came to the rescue during the most intense phases of Whitney and Alicia’s treatments.

After several chemotherapy treatments, Whitney received a bone marrow transplant from an anonymous donor in June.

In August, her mother Shelly revealed on Facebook that the procedure went well and the child was doing well.

She informed her followers: ‘Life outside the hospital! Whitney is 56 days post-transplant!

Alicia and Whitney have suffered the unfortunate side effects of treatment and chemotherapy together, such as losing their hair. Pictured before their battle with cancer

Little Whitney’s leukemia diagnosis came about after her parents, Shelly (Alicia’s daughter) and Tyler McAfee, noticed some swelling and bruising around her eyes

“We monitor the clinic three days a week for routine blood tests, medication adjustments and transfusions as needed.

“We are grateful for how far we have come and continue to pray for more good days ahead.”

Whitney’s father Tyler said it was extremely hard watching his daughter battle cancer alongside his mother-in-law.

He added: ‘It reminds you how fragile life is, and that obviously it doesn’t matter how old you are or what stage you’re in, you never know what the next stage will bring.’

Alicia said Whitney’s courage during her treatment has given her strength.

The grandmother told GMA, “When you know that your granddaughter, who was less than a year old at the time, has already undergone that treatment, it made me realize, ‘You know what, I can do this.’

“There were several instances where I was afraid of what was ahead of me, and Shelly said, ‘Mom, Whitney already did that.’ So I said, “Well, okay, I can do this too, you know.”

In addition to chemotherapy, Alicia underwent a double mastectomy in August as part of her breast cancer treatment.

Now, almost a year after their diagnosis, both Alicia and Whitney are doing well.

Alicia still has eight chemotherapy treatments to go, followed by breast reconstructive surgery.

Meanwhile, Whitney, now 19 months old, is receiving regular checkups after her transplant.

Her specialist physician at Texas Children’s Hospital, Dr. Erin Doherty, said she had never seen a grandmother and granddaughter undergo chemotherapy at the same time.

Thanks to the quick treatment, she says Whitney should live a “long, healthy life.”