Pray for 14-year-old Lorelei Truett, suffering leukemia (Updated 9/8/21 - waiting for transplant) - Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul

The Basilica parish family asks that you pray for 14-year-old Lorelei Truett, daughter of Lance and Ashley Truett. Lorelei was diagnosed with leukemia on April 27, 2021. After receiving the sacramental Anointing of the Sick, she began chemotherapy treatment on April 28 at T. C. Thompson Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. Her diagnosis is a rare type of leukemia, Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia, or MPAL.

Recent Updates

Update 9/8/21: Lorelei's numbers improved enough that she was able to come home from the hospital, after a 40-day stay for her third round of chemo. She will soon have a biopsy to see if she is in remission. Please pray for remission and that she will be free of infection and complications and be able to remain home for the next month while she prepares for transplant.

Update 8/27/21: Lorelei is still recovering from the third round of chemotherapy. Plans are in the works for her to receive a bone marrow transplant on October 8 in Nashville. Her mother, Ashley, has been determined as the best match and is planning to be the bone marrow donor. Please pray for remission, recuperation, and courage as the family endures these continued trials.

Lorelei's youngest brother, Clark, is about to celebrate his 10th birthday, and the family is hopeful to get to celebrate together in her hospital room, as they have gone for a long time without being able to see each other due to Lorelei's compromised immune system.

Update 8/18/21: Lorelei is being treated for a bacterial infection in her central line. It is causing a slightly elevated heart rate and respiratory rate and bringing on nausea and vomiting, of which she had been spared so far during this third round of treatment. Please pray for complete healing as well as reduction of nausea so that she can recover soon and build strength for her bone marrow transplant.

On a lighter note, Lorelei has had enough strength this past week to have silly prank wars with the nurses. Here is a picture after they had "decorated" her room, and she has been returning the pranks on them.

Update 8/10/21: After getting to spend several glorious days at home with her family, Lorelei returned to the hospital and completed her third round of aggressive chemo treatments. She remains at the hospital while she recovers. The doctors took extra measures this time to reduce side effects, and so far it has been easier to bear than the last month of treatments. She does have a mild rash, but she is able to eat well. The family is grateful for this blessing. The three children have begun their new year of homeschooling with Lorelei studying in the hospital and the boys studying at home. Once Lorelei is in remission, they will move together to Nashville for a few months for Lorelei's bone marrow transplant.

ALMOST REMISSION!

Update 7/27/21, from Lorelei's mother Ashley: "We went to clinic this morning. Lorelei did not need blood products and we got her biopsy results back. For Lorelei to be in remission for transplant, they needed to see the minimal residual disease (percentage of leukemia cells) at lower than 0.1%. Lorelei was at 0.2%. Dr McManus was still pleased because her biopsy results on April 28 were 89% leukemia, and 50% on May 26, so 0.2% is a huge reduction. This lets them know these last chemos are working. The tentative plan from here is to go in Thursday for surgery to get a central line placed (this replaces her port that had to be removed from infection). She will then get 4 doses of Ara-C and be released Saturday or Sunday. This is the big chemo she received in her last round. Next week, she will check back in Thursday or Friday for another 4 doses, but this time she will have to stay until her counts can recover. This should take 2-3 weeks. From there, they will do another biopsy and hopefully send us to Nashville for transplant a few weeks after that.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out and prayed over our family for the last 3 months. I apologize if we are slow to respond right now, we are trying to process and make plans. Lorelei’s big prayer through this was to be able to be home for Christmas and this news of extra treatment puts a bit of a damper on that. We praise God for the massive reduction in leukemia cells and almost remission. He is absolutely moving mountains in our lives and we trust and surrender to His timing. We ask for prayers of strength to get through this treatment and extra hospital stay."

Update 7/19 & 7/21/21: After waiting a couple of weeks to recover from her second round of chemotherapy, which included many complications, Lorelei was able to go home this past weekend and the family is savoring a few carefree days together. They ask continued prayers for complete and total remission for Lorelei, which will be determined with another biopsy which is planned for Friday, July 23. (The initial biopsy following this second chemo showed no leukemia cells.) See the Truett family below tending Lorelei's garden that she has missed this summer.

Update June 17, 2021: Lorelei's first 30-day treatment did not put her into remission, and so she returned to T. C. Thompson Children's Hospital June 8 for a more aggressive 30-day treatment that has been much harder on her. During this round of more frequent chemo treatments, Lorelei has experienced much more nausea (and inability to eat), fatigue, and a terrible itch all over her body caused by an allergic reaction to one of the medications. Once Lorelei can go into remission, the Truett family will take her to Nashville for a bone marrow transplant. Please pray for Lorelei's healing and endurance for Lorelei and her family as they suffer the difficult months ahead.

Please also pray for Lorelei's father, Lance. On June 12, while Lance and the boys were building a trellis for the cucumbers Lorelei had started from seed months ago, he hit a knot in the wood and the saw backfired. He cut off the tip of his thumb and most of his index finger. The hospital reattached what they could. He will have to follow up with a hand surgeon.
Update 6/18/21: Because of the damage to his finger, Lance opted to have his finger amputated yesterday. Please pray for his rest and recovery and adaptation following the amputation.

Lorelei celebrated her 14th birthday on June 3, and she was able to be at home with her family and see a few friends.

Lorelei leaving hospital after her first 30-day treatment on 5/28/21

Below are some ways you can follow and support Lorelei's progress.

Caring Bridge Site for Lorelei

The family has created a Caring Bridge site that you can follow to see updates about Lorelei and to offer encouragement to her and her family. Click the link below to access the site, and follow the prompts to sign in or create an account as needed:

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/prayers4lorelei

Medical Costs

The medical costs beyond what insurance covers are unbelievably high. The family appreciates any donations, but also understand if you are unable to give at this time. Prayers are very much appreciated and needed for Lorelei's healing.
GoFundMe
for Lorelei's medical treatment

Bone Marrow Donation

Lorelei is going to need a bone marrow transplant. If you’d like, you can go to bethematch.org and get a free test to see if you are a match to anyone needing a marrow transplant, including Lorelei. As always, the most important thing you can do is continue to pray.

Blood Drive/Breakfast Fundraiser Sat. Aug. 14

click for full event details and to sign up

Cards for Lorelei

You can mail cards, letters, or gifts to her home address and her parents will give them to her.

Miss Lorelei Truett
796 South Crest Road
Chattanooga, TN 37404

We will also be collecting cards for Lorelei in a marked basket in the Basilica vestibule. You can leave them in this basket or at the parish office, and we will deliver them to her family regularly.

About the Truett Family

The Truett family moved to Chattanooga a few years ago from the Murfreesboro area. Lance joined the Basilica RCIA program in 2019. He and the children received the Sacraments of Initiation in 2020 with the RCIA class on the Vigil of Pentecost. They immediately became active in our parish, as members of the Jubilate Deo Youth Schola, the Altar Servers, the Altar Ministry, and FEMAC (the Facilities, Engineering, and Maintenance Advisory Committee). Lorelei and her younger brothers Max and Clark are homeschooled students.

Here are photos of the Truett Family from Easter Sunday when they attended Mass at the Basilica, April 4, 2021.

Lorelei, Max, and Clark Truett

Prayers

The most important thing you can do is pray.

The Intercession of St. Philomena and St. Peregrine

Here are two saints whose intercession has helped people to be cured from leukemia.

St. Philomena, Virgin and Martyr, was martyred at the age of 13 and is a model of courage.

St. Peregrine, Priest, was cured overnight of a terrible cancer.