A 17-year-old Sparkle Cheerleader with down syndrome from Tahoma High School was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Cecile Snyder has been cheerleading since she was 7 or 8 years old and also has competed in other Special Olympic sports, according to her dad, Jeff Snyder. He said she “thrives on it,” but now that she has been diagnosed with ALL, her cheerleading and sports days have to be put on hold.

ALL is the most common childhood cancer, according to cancer.gov. It is a type of cancer where the bone marrow makes too many immature lymphocytes — a type of white blood cell.

Jeff said he and his family found out Cecile had cancer on Feb. 22, 2018.

“We were right towards the end of spring break and there were a couple of days she wasn’t feeling all that great, kind of getting lazy and so we thought she might have been getting a flu bug or something,” Jeff said.

As the night went on, Jeff’s wife — Cecile’s mom — Carla Snyder, came home and had Cecile take a shower, and then started cooking dinner.

When Cecile came out of the shower, it was apparent something was wrong.

“She got out of the shower and said she was really dizzy and she signed ‘emergency, emergency,’ and we’re like ‘Huh, OK we’ll take her in just to get her checked,’” Jeff said. “We took her to Urgent Care and they sent us to the emergency room over at MultiCare and they drew blood and basically came out and asked where we wanted to go (for cancer treatment).”

The family decided on Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma.

When they arrived at Mary Bridge, Jeff said the oncologists were already there to meet with the Snyder family and told them they thought it was a form of cancer that was causing Cecile to sick. She was admitted that same night.

For Cecile’s chemo treatment, she checks into the hospital for long periods at a time.

“Our first visit was 26 days and then now we’re into consolidation (therapy used to kill cancer) and we’re into the second half of that. We already had one 16-day stay and we just readmitted this past Friday for the second half,” Jeff explained. “It was a little touchy at the beginning of this consolidation phase just because she had to have a port installed instead of the PICC line (a thin, soft plastic tube) for the IV, they put a port in the chest, so it’s under her skin and everything.”

An implanted port is like an artificial vein that makes it easier for healthcare professionals to access blood vessels for medication and tests, according to mskcc.org. The port is placed under the skin and onto the chest of the patient.

Jeff said this makes it easier for Cecile to do everyday tasks, like shower, without “hoses” hanging off her where the IV would go.

Cecile does not have to go through radiation therapy, just chemo, according to Jeff.

The family has also started a Gofundme account where they have raised about $4,470 of their $15,000 goal. Other people have been raising money for the family as well.

Jamie Anderson Crookston, a family friend, has organized a Facebook group that lets people check in on Cecile’s progress.

Anderson has also started making bracelets that say #CECILESTRONG and #BEHAPPY, to help raise money for the family. She said she started the process of making the bracelets the week after she found out Cecile was diagnosed.

“Quite honestly, the day I found out she diagnosed I was like ‘What can I do to help?’ I had heard of other people doing the bracelets and thought, ‘I’m going to do bracelets,’” Anderson said. “My thought of this fundraiser was to develop a way to supplement Carla’s income because she is the only one that works outside of the home and if she doesn’t have sick leave, there has to be something else to cover those expenses for the family.”

She said she asks for a minimum donation of $5 for a bracelet, but some people donate more.

So far, Anderson said she has raised more than $2,000 for the family.

“Between the Gofundme and bracelet sales, there’s been T-shirt sells and just other people donating money —(that has been helping) us out so much. Even people we don’t know, they know Cecile, that’s the most amazing part,” Jeff said.

To find a bracelet to support Cecile and her battle against cancer, go to Blue Dot Espresso, Seattle Sun Tan, Vision Source and the Maple Valley Soccer Association. Or, contact Jaimie directly on the Facebook page she set up for Cecile at https://www.facebook.com/groups/812514875617966/.