I think many people hear "cancer and immediately think the worst. The thing is, not all cancers are the same. I feel that the only cancer that gets any awareness isCáncer de Mama. I do believe other cancers need just as much awareness asBreast Cancergets.

Diagnóstico de leucemia mieloide crónica

My journey started in October 2006. I was working at a family-run convenience store and working long hours to help. I started having throbbingPainin my arms, along with painful headaches to the point where I could not move. I decided it was time to go to a doctor and see if they could figure out what was happening. I went in and got checked out, and they took some routineBlood Tests. The doctor said I had a carpal tunnel from working long hours and chronic migraines. Three days later, I got a phone call stating that my blood tests were off and that I needed to consult a haematologist. I knew in my mind right there that I had cancer.

I consulted the haematologist two days later. More blood was drawn, and my mother and I sat in a cold room, awaiting the results. The doctor came in, looked at me and my mom and said, "You haveLeukemia. You have Chronic MyeloidLeukemiaor CML, and there is no cure. He then left the room and left my mother and me with this news. My mother immediately started crying, and I just sat there in shock. The doctor returned and explained that he needed a bone marrowbiopsyto see how advanced the cancer was.

Tratamiento de la leucemia mieloide crónica

The next day I was back at the office and sat in a room. He explained what would happen with theBiopsiaand started giving me medicines to relax so I wouldn't feel anything. He started the procedure; they used a needle about a foot long with a crank. I was screaming and screaming in Pain, and the doctor got mad and said he would send me to a different hospital and thank god he did. I got sent to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. There I met with the doctor who would save my life. I was taken in for more blood tests and, after an hour, was told that I was fortunate to be alive. All my counts were sky-high, and myPlateletswere so high I was about to have a stroke. That's why I had terrible headaches. I was told there was no stage, but my cancer wasn't too advanced yet.

I was started on a drug called Gleevec. Gleevec is an oral chemo that Chronic MyeloidLeucemiapatients have taken for quite some time. My doctor told me I was not dying soon and sent me back home. I started taking Gleevec the following day, and everything was fine for a few weeks. Then, suddenly, my feet started swelling to the point where I couldn't put shoes on. I returned to the doctor, who concluded that it was because of Gleevec and said we would have to try another medicine. Spycelwas next on the list, and that's the medicine I took for the following year. My life consisted of checkups, blood tests, blood transfusions, and more bone marrow biopsies.

Fast forward to late 2008, Sprycel made my blood counts dip too low, and they wouldn't recover. The latestBiopsyshowed that my chronic myeloidLeukemiawas taking a turn for the worst and was on its way to becoming acuteLeukemia. At this point, it was decided that I needed a bone marrow transplant. They checked the registry, and no one matched me. We did a bone marrow drive with no luck. Time was running out, so my doctor got the transplant doctor on board, and they decided that I would get an umbilical blood cord blood transplant.

En septiembre de 2009, me hospitalizaron para prepararme para la quimioterapia antes del trasplante. El 20 de septiembre me hicieron un trasplante. Ahora solo quedaba esperar para ver si funcionaba. Tenía al amor de mi vida a mi lado y sabía que superaría esto. Recé varias veces al día. Una semana después, mi conteo comenzó a recuperarse y mi cuerpo comenzó a producir células sanas nuevamente. Sin embargo, estaba lejos de estar lo suficientemente sano como para volver a casa. Estuve en el hospital durante cuatro largos meses. Algunos días fueron más fáciles que otros, pero una cosa que tenía clara era que no me rendiría. Finalmente fui liberado bajo muchas estipulaciones. Todos los días tenía que ir al consultorio del médico para asegurarme de que estaba bien y que mis recuentos sanguíneos seguían siendo buenos.

Después de un año, finalmente escuché: "Estás libre de cáncer. Hice una fiesta y me alegré de haber recuperado mi vida y mi vida. Ahora vivo mi vida al máximo. Ahora solo tengo que regresar una vez". Un año para que me revisen. He estado libre de cáncer durante más de diez años. La vida después del cáncer ha sido agitada y llena de milagros. Mis médicos me habían dicho que no había posibilidades de tener hijos debido a las quimioterapias. Con el corazón roto, lo acepté. Y seguí adelante. Tres años después, fui bendecido con mi primer milagro. Tres años después de eso, otro pequeño milagro. Después de eso, me ligaron las trompas, ¡jaja!

Grupos de Apoyo

I didn't know about any support groups and didn't know if I would have joined one back then. I feel that what groups likeZenOnco.ioare doing is excellent. People need so much support during these challenging times, especially with COVID-19.

Mensaje de despedida

¿Si pudiera resumir mi viaje en una frase? No dejes que el cáncer gane. ¡Nunca te rindas! Sigue luchando hasta tu último aliento. Espero que esto ayude a alguien. Mi viaje ha sido largo, pero estoy aquí, estoy vivo y tengo que agradecer a los médicos por ello.