Meet Willow, this year’s Tree of Hope lighter

Willow McMurray was having a great time playing softball with her summer team, like any 10-year-old might, when she started complaining about pain in her hands and elbows. 

At first, her mom, Jenny, didn’t worry too much about it. Growing pains, most likely, she thought. Her daughter loved sports and it was August, the middle of summer sports for kids; what else could it be? 

“It really started in the beginning of July where she was complaining that her hands and elbows were hurting and we thought maybe it was from a softball game she just pitched, or maybe she just needed some rest,” Jenny says. “After about a week of her complaining on and off about her hands, I wondered if maybe she was developing juvenile arthritis, since she had pain in both hands. We also noticed she was sleeping longer too. She’s usually a truly early morning riser and she was sleeping in.”

The trip to the pediatrician’s office ended with an order for bloodwork; the next day the McMurrays received a call instructing them to go to Oishei Children’s Hospital for additional tests. “That’s when they told us it looked more like leukemia,” Jenny says. 

From the softball diamond to a hospital bed

Willow was diagnosed with pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  “My brother and sister were outside the room and they came in crying,” recalls Willow, now 12 and a student at North Tonawanda Middle School.

She spent 23 days in the hospital initially, receiving her port for chemotherapy right away. Willow remembers taking “lots of pills” as part of her daily routine, something that was already tricky for her before her diagnosis. After the initial treatments, she had a bone marrow biopsy that showed she was in remission, allowing her to shift to outpatient therapy with Meghan Higman, MD, PhD, a pediatric hematologist/oncologist with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

There also was a familiar face in the pediatric clinic at Roswell Park: Kristen Fix, LCSW, a social worker, the mom of Willow’s best friend, Ethan. 

“She’s very loyal, spirited and determined,” Kristen says. “She has always seemed like an old soul and she has faced this journey with a wisdom beyond her years. Her sharp wit and boundless resilience are inspiring.” 

It wasn’t always an easy go of things for Willow. “I’ve had a lot of allergic reactions to some of the chemo, including an allergic reaction to the main chemo I would have to take, called methotrexate,” Willow says. “That happened when I was an inpatient in the hospital. At first, they thought it was something with my skin. They ran tests on it and I had to go to the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit), but nothing was wrong.” She also had another allergic reaction to a medication later that resulted in her developing mucositis, a painful condition in her mouth. 

“Would not recommend,” Willow says with a giggle. 

Thankfully, as a patient at Roswell Park, Willow was able to use a chemotherapy called blinatumomab, or Blina for short, once used for high-risk patients that was not fully approved by the FDA at the time. “It attacks the bad cells and that’s been working for me,” she says. 

The drug just became FDA-approved, and the Children’s Oncology Group demonstrated their data was also “very good” in pediatric patients, Dr. Higman says. “It’s been working out well for Willow.” She has completed two cycles of Blina, with two more scheduled in the future, before she’s done with treatment in November 2025. 

A shining light to end the year

With a year of treatment behind her and one more ahead, Willow and her family have a lot to celebrate this holiday season. But it will be even more special when they all come together in Kaminski Park on December 13, and Willow has the honor of being this year’s Tree of Hope tree lighter, part of the celebration's 30th anniversary. 

“My mom told me when we were driving home from school,” Willow says. “I’m excited! Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. Last Christmas and Thanksgiving I was in the hospital because of the allergic reactions to chemo. When we came home for Christmas, I was so excited because my family was there, and we opened presents together.” 

“We waited for her to come home,” Jenny says. “She missed out on a lot of holiday activities last year, so this will be exciting.” 

Dr. Higman says Willow is a “delightful child who loves life: She can get a little anxious, but she really has always tried to keep a smile on her face. That’s really kind of neat. I think she’s one of those kids that epitomize the season.”