Local

A year of transitions for Poppy Sellier

Meghan Bartlett | Catholic Herald Editorial Assistant

Poppy Sellier, diagnosed with cancer in 2018, celebrates the anniversary of her first year out of treatment with two visiting alpacas last month. COURTESY

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For Poppy Sellier, bringing face masks to school isn’t unusual. While many children are adapting to the use of face coverings as they return to class this fall, Poppy first packed them  — along with the standard back-to-school supplies of notebooks and pencils — when she set out for first grade at Our Lady of Hope School in Potomac Falls last fall. Only a few weeks before, she had completed chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia, diagnosed the previous December. The Catholic Herald ran a story about her journey from cancer to recovery in August 2019.

After
Poppy was cleared, her mom, Charlotte Sellier, watched her 6-year-old daughter
go from the hospital to school in the span of a few weeks.

“We
were apprehensive in the beginning,” said Charlotte, who explained the five
rounds of chemotherapy removed all of the bad cells — and the good ones too.
“Chemo treatment completely wiped all of her vaccinations out of her body.” 

She
emailed the parents of Poppy’s schoolmates to explain the situation and
included the face masks for Poppy as a precaution. In the beginning, Poppy
started with some half days to monitor her energy levels. 

“Our
Lady of Hope was fantastic, they worked with us so well,” Charlotte said. “By
and large it was a very smooth transition.”

The
family worked through many transitions after Poppy returned from iNOVA
Children’s Hospital in Fairfax in August 2019. At the hospital, Charlotte said,
“You feel very safe, in a way, because literally outside the door are
professionals.” After bringing Poppy home, “all of a sudden you’re in charge
again.” 

Monthly
doctor checkups monitored Poppy’s progress. Her energy levels were high as
well. “Minus having very short hair, she was acting and looking and being like
every other kid,” Charlotte said.

In
January, the Sellier family had another transition, welcoming the addition of
baby Remy, the fifth child in the family. Charlotte said her son helped her
recover from the anxiety and strain of 2019. 
“It was good to have to turn my attention to the baby. We all pivoted,
and he helped move us past that spot mentally.”

But
for Poppy, the effects of the chemo still linger. In her final round of
therapy, the doctors discovered she has cardiomyopathy, or heart muscle
disease, a side effect of the treatment, where the right side of Poppy’s heart
doesn’t function as well. She takes two medications and has quarterly doctor
appointments to monitor the condition. The progress feels sluggish. “With the
heart, as with any muscle, it’s a slow-moving shift,” said Charlotte. “Cancer
treatment starts immediately,” but the healing of Poppy’s heart is much more
gradual.

In
March, Poppy’s Make-A-Wish dream came true with a visit to Walt Disney World in
Florida — just in time, too. Five days after they returned home, the resort
closed due to the novel coronavirus. Along with the other schools, Our Lady of
Hope pivoted to distance learning for the remainder of the school year.

Now
once again, Poppy will return to school after a long hiatus. While her school
is offering a full-time virtual option, the Selliers decided to send her in
person, but not without considering the risk factors. Poppy’s overall health is
good, said Charlotte, and she no longer considers her immune system
compromised. Charlotte said she trusts the school, too, in large part due to
how they handled her return last year. “They’re going to do everything by the
book,” she said. 

And
not least of all, “she wants to go,” said Charlotte. “I feel like I can’t keep
her back … because I might have worries.” 

Recently,
the family celebrated Poppy’s one-year-out-of-treatment anniversary, with
neighbors cheering from their doorsteps, an ice cream truck — and two furry
alpacas, rented from the local My Pet Alpaca.

The
family’s first in-person Mass since the beginning of the pandemic was Aug. 9,
exactly one year to the day since Poppy stood in a Wonder Woman outfit and rang
a bell at the hospital signaling the completion of her treatment and the
remission of the cancer. 

“It
felt like (church) was a very fitting place to be,” said Charlotte. “We
obviously have a lot to be grateful for.”

Bartlett can be reached at [email protected].

Find
out more

To
read about Poppy’s battle with cancer, go tocatholicherald.com/news/local_news/six-year-old_poppy_sellier_completes_treatment_for_leukemia/.

 

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