SAN ANTONIO — A young girl who became the face of several donor campaigns for the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center has won her fight with cancer.
Amy Morkovsky was first diagnosed with cancer at the age of two in January 2021.
"He looked at me and said 'he's great, his counts are good and um, she has Leukemia,'" Amy’s mom Brandi told KENS 5 in July 2021, described finding out her daughter had cancer during a Doctor's appointment for her son.
Brandi described learning her daughter had Cancer as numbing, unlike the feeling of learning she was cancer-free.
"Oh, fantastic. Super exciting, we couldn't wait, absolutely couldn't wait.”
The now 5-year-old recently rang a bell at Methodist Children's Hospital signaling the official end of her chemotherapy treatment.
Blood transfusions became a big part of the family's life. Amy's blood type is O-Negative, meaning she can only receive blood from other O-Negative donors.
The family became very close with the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center after they started participating in ad campaigns to encourage people to donate.
"There was one just recently, gosh, what was the slogan? You Give, They Live."
Amy's mom Brandi says they've formed lifelong bonds through the experience.
"there's a lot of people at the south Texas Blood and Tissue Center that we consider family now," she said.
The victory was not without sacrifice. To help cover the cost of Amy’s treatment the Morkovsky's are selling their home near the Rim.
"We know families of pediatric cancer that have nearly $1,000,000 in financial debt due to the diagnosis and the medical bills and actually have good insurance” said Amy’s father Ryan.
“There is a financial impact for sure. And it doesn't matter how well-off you are, everyone feels that," he said.
Ryan said they see themselves working with the blood and tissue center for years to come.
"Though Amy's journey is coming to a close, there are other's children whose journeys are just beginning."