Shobha is
Blood Cancer United

I'm an acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivor, and this is my first time sharing my story, but I'm doing it to motivate and give hope to the ones who truly need it. Back in September 2014, I was 18 when I was first diagnosed with stage 2 ALL, and I started chemo right away. In March 2015, I was in remission (still in remission), and in February 2017, I finished all my chemo treatments. I'm super happy I beat cancer, but sadly it left behind some issues for me to deal with since then. In 2015, I was eventually diagnosed with AVN (joint damage) in all of my joints because when I started chemo in 2014, they gave me prednisone, and I was on it for only three months, but it still damaged all of my joints. I had to wait to finish chemo and then do surgeries. I had both hips replaced in 2017 and both shoulders replaced in 2018/2019. Because eventually I couldn't stand or walk anymore, I was in a wheelchair for at least two years. I'm still struggling with my elbows (I can't straighten my arms), knees, and my ankles. I'm still seeing doctors, hoping they can help figure something out for my issues. Meanwhile, I just wanted to share my story, and hopefully in a way that everyone can see the good in beating cancer, regardless of whether I'm still struggling. I just want to let everyone know they are not alone and they are stronger than they think. Before, it wasn't easy for me to share my story, but now I'm ready, and I'm ready to help in any other way that I can. Thank you!