In the fall of 2022, 8-year-old Penelope Pearson kept getting sick every week or two. She'd catch a virus, run a fever, and recover just like any other kid.

Unlike other kids, she seemed to be getting more and more sick and developed a limp that December. Penelope was admitted to the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children's Hospital when an ER doctor saw her labs and suspected leukemia. The limping turned out to be a result of bone pain caused by B-CELL Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She was officially diagnosed three days after admission and immediately started treatment.

Penelope is now 11 years old and officially done with chemotherapy after 836 days since that first ER visit! During those 836 days, she endured dozens of lumbar punctures, hundreds of doses of chemo, two months of immunotherapy, multiple surgeries, and too many days to count in the hospital. She now looks forward to many more days disease-free.

Penelope, along with 8-year-old brother Theo and her parents, Liz and Todd, are committed to her recovery and helping other kids like her through fundraising and advocacy. Penelope's dream future includes attending the University of Iowa and joining UIDM herself.