I was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) on April 6, 1987, just four months after my 30th birthday.
My beautiful daughter had turned three in February. I loved being a mom, and a teacher. I was extremely active as many young parents are and was looking forward to spending more time outside "playing" as the weather improved in the great Canadian north. Life was good.
On that day in April I had finally submitted to being taken to hospital after another day of suffering with fatigue and a bad cold that didn't seem to want to end. Blood tests confirmed I had AML. I was sent immediately to University Hospital in London, Ontario that evening. Chemotherapy was started immediately.
I needed a bone marrow transplant. Within a few days family members were tested and thankfully one of my brothers was a perfect match. Remission induction and consolidation lasted until August, most of which I spent in the hospital as I required ongoing blood transfusions. I rarely got to see my daughter due to the risk of infection.
After a brief few weeks at home I was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, 300 km away and it was there that I had my transplant on September 21. Although the transplant was successful, I did have graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and developed pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP).
I finally returned home in February of 1988 and after fully recovering, I became actively involved in volunteering and fighting blood cancer. I received one of the 125th Governor General of Canada Medals for Community Service. I wrote a book, Letters to Erica, The Journey Home.
I have enjoyed retirement since 2011 after 34 years of teaching. My daughter will be 33 in February and my step-daughter is 36. My husband has been another gift in my life. It's been 29 years of life since my transplant and I look forward to many more as I celebrate my 60th birthday on December 20th. May all of you who are struggling to get home or those of you who are already there, I wish you much hope in the future that awaits you!
Judy
AML Survivor
