Nalla Billmeyer of Clermont is getting plenty of support from her family during her recovery process after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The Billmeyer family includes (front) Trevor; (back) Allan, Jessica, and Nalla.
Nalla's road to recovery
Brian Smith
Contributing Writer
Make no mistake about it, Nalla Billmeyer and her parents have a challenging journey ahead of them. It is a journey they did not expect to take and one they certainly would like to have avoided altogether. Unfortunately, Clermont residents Allan and Jessica Billmeyer were not given a choice in the matter. On Jan. 28 their daughter, Nalla, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Since then, their lives have been a whirlwind of doctor’s appointments, chemotherapy treatments, spinal taps, and white blood cell counts.
“We first became aware of a problem when Nalla had some really high fevers, and we couldn’t figure out what was causing them. We took her to LaCrosse, and they ran some tests. When it was discovered that she had ALL, they started her on treatments right away,” related Jessica, who has seen her little girl go through a great deal over the last several weeks.
Their initial visit to LaCrosse lasted for 10 days and was rough on everyone. Allan and Jessica had been married just over eight months when they found themselves living through what must have seemed like a nightmare. The change in their daughter was heartbreaking.
“Nalla went from being a happy-go-lucky 2-year-old to a cancer patient struggling through chemotherapy treatments. There was a three week period where she went without smiling, laughing, or playing; all she could do was lay on the floor or sit on the couch and cry,” recalled Allan, who has witnessed the transformation firsthand.