Eva Berk, 6, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Haverhill, with Laurie (mom), Jeff (dad), and Joey (twin brother, 6)

WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon

Eva had unexplained fevers for about a week. She was pale and sleeping a lot. Her
parents took her to the pediatrician, who advised them to take Eva immediately to the
emergency room. Her bloodwork revealed she had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

After two years of treatment including chemotherapy, she was finally in remission,
but cancer returned just two weeks later. Eva needed a stem cell transplant and her twin brother, Joey, was a perfect match for the procedure.

She received a stem cell transplant from Joey in 2022. She also has received CAR-T
cell therapy, a type of immunotherapy. She received her cells in May and continues to be seen twice weekly to track her progress with therapy and platelet infusions.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is aggressive and progresses quickly. It affects the
lymphoid-cell-producing stem cells, in particular a type of white blood cell called T
lymphocytes as opposed to acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) which commonly affects B lymphocytes. ALL is the most common type of childhood cancer. It most often occurs in children ages 3 to 5 and affects slightly more boys than girls.