I had breast cancer 13 years ago at age 30. I had a double mastectomy and four rounds of chemotherapy. I didn't know that the treatments for breast cancer put me at risk for developing leukemia. But I have since learned that leukemia secondary to breast cancer, while rare (0.5%), does exist.
In April 2024, I started feeling really poorly. I had no energy, couldn't climb stairs without becoming winded, and was constantly getting upper respiratory infections. I went to my primary care physician, who did a CBC. All my counts (white blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, platelets, and neutrophils) were critically low. So, she referred me to a hematologist.
After exhaustive testing, I was diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ B-ALL) in June 2024. I started on Iclusig® and Blincyto® immunotherapy and achieved minimal residual disease (MRD) in September 2024.
I was fortunate to get a 10/10 match on the unrelated donor registry, and on October 30, I had my bone marrow transplant.
I am day +234 today. While I'm incredibly thankful to still be in remission, I'm not where I thought I'd be. I realize now I had unrealistic expectations for what life post-transplant would look like. I thought my life would be “normal” by now, that my counts would be normal, my energy level would be normal, and my appetite would be normal. I thought I would be back to my pre-leukemia self. What I didn't realize was how long it takes to build a new immune system, and how much energy it takes to do that. I didn't know how many infections I would get post-transplant because my body has no antibodies, and how those infections could cause bone marrow suppression.
I am working to redefine “normal” and to focus on one day at a time. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, so I need to better appreciate today.
Anne
Philadelphia chromosome-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ B-ALL)
