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 isBröstcancer. I do believe other cancers need just as much awareness asBreast Cancergets.

Kronisk myeloid leukemi diagnos

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.

Behandling av kronisk myeloid leukemi

The next day I was back at the office and sat in a room. He explained what would happen with theBiopsiand 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 MyeloidLeukemipatients 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.

I september 2009 blev jag inlagd på sjukhus för att förbereda mig på cellgifter innan transplantationen. Den 20 september gjorde jag en transplantation. Nu var det bara att vänta och se om det fungerade. Jag hade mitt livs kärlek vid min sida och visste att jag skulle slå detta. Jag bad flera gånger om dagen. En vecka senare började min räkning återhämta sig, och min kropp började göra friska celler igen. Jag var dock långt ifrån frisk nog att gå hem. Jag låg på sjukhuset i fyra långa månader. Vissa dagar var lättare än andra, men en sak som jag var tydlig med var att jag inte gav upp. Jag släpptes äntligen på många villkor. Varje dag var jag tvungen att gå till läkarmottagningen för att säkerställa att jag var okej och att mina blodvärden fortfarande var bra.

Efter ett år fick jag äntligen höra: "Du är cancerfri. Jag höll en fest och gladde mig bara över att jag hade mitt liv tillbaka och livet överhuvudtaget. Jag lever nu mitt liv fullt ut. Nu behöver jag bara gå tillbaka en gång ett år för att kontrolleras. Jag har varit cancerfri i över tio år. Livet efter cancer har varit händelserikt och fullt av mirakel. Mina läkare hade sagt till mig att det inte fanns någon chans att få barn på grund av kemoterapierna. Hjärtat, jag accepterade det och gick vidare. Tre år senare blev jag välsignad med mitt första mirakel. Tre år efter det, ytterligare ett litet mirakel. Jag knöt mina rör efter det, haha!

Supportgrupper

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.

Avskedsmeddelande

Om jag kunde sammanfatta min resa i en mening? Låt inte cancern vinna. Ge aldrig någonsin upp! Fortsätt kämpa till ditt sista andetag. Jag hoppas att detta hjälper någon. Min resa har varit lång, men jag är här, jag lever, och det har jag läkarna att tacka för.