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Baby Molly’s leukemia in remission

It’s been eight months since the story of baby Molly captured the hearts and minds of Victorians.

It’s been eight months since the story of baby Molly captured the hearts and minds of Victorians.

On Christmas Eve, the Campbell family left Victoria unexpectedly for their one-month-old daughter’s emergency medical treatment. They haven’t been back yet, even for a visit.

Dave Campbell took a leave from work, and quit his position as president of the Oaklands Community Association.

Molly is “doing fantastic,” said Dave. “We seem to be, I hate to say through the woods, but in a better position now.”

Today (Aug. 26) is Day 64 for Molly.

It’s how the family now marks the passage of time since Molly’s bone-marrow transplant in June. At the time, doctors decided it was a better option than chemotherapy because her remissions were prone to relapsing. Molly’s leukemia is now in remission, and her prognosis has risen from a 10 to a 40 per cent chance of survival.

These days, Dave is adapting to being a stay-at-home dad for his five kids.

“It’s been a real eye-opener,” he said on a call from his cell phone at the grocery store. It’s been a tough time, but it’s also one that’s made the family closer.

“I appreciate my kids yelling and screaming,” Dave said. “That used to get really frustrating for me.”

Day 100, in early October, promises to mark a significant milestone.

“If things go good, we might be able to go back to Victoria and just come back to Vancouver two or three times a week … for the next year and a half,” said Dave.

It’s a return he’s is looking forward to.

“We’ve had amazing support from the community,” he said. “We would have given up everything to do this. Thankfully we didn’t have to.”

The Oaklands Community Association stepped up as a liaison for the family and the fundraisers.

“They were actually worried about having more money than they needed and that’s what’s happened,” said president Mary Partridge Wolske. Additional funds are being directed to the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation for infant leukemia research.

Dave blogs about Molly and the family regularly. Follow along by visiting www.molly-campbell.com.