After being in remission from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) for 12 years, things were going well for me. Then a day after my 48th birthday, I was diagnosed once again! It hit me really hard, and I could not seem to get past the words from the doctor, "You have _____."
I was visiting my son in Minnesota and began to feel some very familiar symptoms of weakness and shortness of breath (with a side of achy bones). I was rushed to the hospital with a hemoglobin of 6, and I thought, "I may not make it this time." Not well enough to even travel back to my home in Atlanta, I stayed in the hospital for the next five months ― away from my job, family, and LIFE!
With low emotions of fear and uncertainty, what stuck out the most was being told that a bone marrow transplant was my only life-saving alternative. I began to work on changing my outlook. I was not going to go out without a fight. Adopting a positive mindset became a part of me, and it helped me tremendously.
Eventually, I was stable enough to travel. Unfortunately, the chances of finding a bone marrow match in the black community are only 28%, and a match was not found through the registry. It is very important for me to get the word out for that percentage to change.
While doing chemotherapy, my children were tested, and one of my four children was a perfect match. He saved my life (grateful to Domonique).
It has been two years now since my transplant, and aside from a little "chemo brain," life has taken such a positive turn. So, I want to encourage and inspire the entire cancer community. There may be days when you feel like you are in a low place, and I say, "Allow yourself to feel." Then begin to think of all the positive contributions that are waiting for you in this world.
You are important, you matter, and you have purpose.
Ann
AML Survivor
