Girl shares leukemia treatment experience

Hannah Koepsell was 11 years old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Two years of chemotherapy followed, and in 2024, she rang the bell at Roswell Park Full Cancer Center, marking a significant milestone in her treatment.

Five months later, the leukemia returned. Her father, Jason, understands her experience firsthand, having been treated for Hodgkin lymphoma at 17 and being in remission for 22 years.

“Seeing my daughter go through it is awful,” he said. “It was awful, every bit of it.”

Treatment for Childhood Leukemia

For Hannah and her family, childhood cancer has meant years of chemotherapy, long hospital stays, and two relapses. Now in remission, Hannah and her father are sharing what those years looked like beyond the milestones people often see from the outside.

Hannah’s diagnosis arrived during softball season. Hannah had also done cheer for eight years and dance since she was 3, but both had to stop during treatment.

Impact on Daily Life

She was homeschooled for weeks at a time, and being away from school also changed some of the friendships she had built there. Classmates sometimes treated her differently during treatment and even after she returned.

During Hannah’s first 39-day hospital stay, hospital policy kept her younger brother, Jackson, who was 7 at the time, from visiting her room. Friends her age could not visit either.

Once the rules eased, Jackson visited every day. Hannah said simply having him in the room changed how she felt during long days in the hospital.

Relapse and CAR-T Cell Therapy

Hannah’s first relapse was discovered after what seemed like a routine checkup. Her family was already driving home when Roswell Park called and asked them to return for another round of bloodwork.

While waiting for the results, Hannah still went to her school dance. There, she pulled aside a friend who had also been through leukemia and shared what she already suspected.

When the leukemia came back again last fall, Hannah received CAR-T cell therapy, which uses a patient’s own immune cells that are modified to better recognize and attack cancer cells.

Hannah no longer produces B cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the body make antibodies and fight infection. Because of this, she receives intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusions every eight weeks.

Survivorship and Misconceptions

Treatment did not end after remission. She takes a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), a targeted therapy designed to block the genetic driver of her leukemia, for three weeks followed by one week off.

Hannah’s family runs a page called Hannah Strong, sells bracelets, and holds charity events. But what people see online often represents the milestones rather than the hardest days in the hospital.

“People at school only see the good stuff,” she said. “You don’t understand what actually happens.”

Her father, Jason, noted that families facing a new pediatric cancer diagnosis may look to pages like Hannah Strong for hope, so the family often keeps some of the hardest moments private.

Comparing his own experience with Hodgkin lymphoma 22 years ago, Jason has seen how cancer treatment has changed. Some of Hannah’s early chemotherapy drugs were the same ones he received, but he said newer approaches can target cancer while reducing some of the effects on the rest of the body.

“The way that they can use less, so it doesn’t affect you as much and you don’t get as sick as you used to, that’s a huge benefit,” he said.

For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.