Hill Family Sets Up Website on Baby with Leukemia

Supporters asking how they can help baby Maleena Hill and her family as she begins her two-year battle with leukemia have a game plan now.

Last Friday, Jeff Hill caught players, fans and team boosters off-guard when he announced he was at  due to his 8-week-old daughter's health problems.

Maleena, born Nov. 13, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Dec. 26, when she was 6 weeks old. She began chemotherapy treatments the next day at Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit.

"We took her in to get her checked out just after Christmas because she was a little fussy," said Hill, a Royal Oak native. The baby's feet also showed a blue/purplish color. "They came back after some bloodwork with a diagnosis of leukemia. That stops your world."

The Hill family has set up a website through CareBridge, which offers a place for families with health matters to post photographs and write posts to share information. It's also where visitors can sign a guestbook, leave messages and make donations. To visit the Maleena Hill Carebridge page go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/maleenahill. Visitors will be asked to register on the site, but it is free. Once logged in, visitors can get updates on Maleena's progress.

"Coach Hill is overwhelmed by the support of the community – both friends and fans," said Royal Oak resident and sports writer Mark Stowers, who speaks to Hill frequently when they pick up their children after school each day. "He told me it's hard for him to accept everyone wanting to help him, but he said he understands."

Stowers said Hill told him there has been an outpouring of people willing to help out, from a group of Hill's former Dondero High School classmates who are organizing meals for the family, to friends willing to walk the Hill family dog.

"This website keeps the family from having to tell the same story over and over," Stowers said. "And it's a way for people to leave messages for the family."