At the age of 33, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I immediately started undergoing treatment which initially consisted of intense induction chemotherapy followed by consolidation chemotherapy and then a haploidentical stem cell transplant. My 64-year-old father was my only donor option as I did not have any matches on the national registry. My two sisters were less than half matches, and my mother’s history of having had a stem cell transplant herself precluded her from donating. After testing, my father was cleared to donate, and on December 4, 2020, I gratefully received 4.37 million of his stem cells.
Due to COVID-19 precautions at the hospital, I was not allowed to have any outside visitors during this time, not even family, not even my husband. The “funny” thing was that at the time of my diagnosis, I was working at the same hospital as a critical care pharmacist and had even worked in the stem cell transplant unit a few years prior. This ended up being a tremendous blessing as I had an intimate understanding of the challenging path ahead, and I also had formed friendships over the years with coworkers who helped me through my hospitalizations.
My road to recovery is ongoing and has had many ups and downs. I am now about six months post-transplant and in remission, but I am still receiving extra chemotherapy to help clear my bone marrow of a residual leukemia mutation. As I journey on, I continue to be in awe of the strength of our bodies and minds. Some days are rough, but other days are more beautiful than ever before, and I have an appreciation now for how precious each day is.
I am so grateful to be a survivor, although cancer will always be a part of my life. And I am so grateful to have met so many other survivors who inspire me and give me hope. Thank you to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the incredibly helpful support and resources provided to cancer patients like me!
Lauren
AML Survivor
