Brianna is
Blood Cancer United

My name is Brianna Ciambra I live in New York and this is my story. When I was eleven, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I went through two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy which consisted of IV meds, spinal taps, steroids etc. I lost my hair during the chemo, which was very hard. I also developed a condition called Avascular necrosis. Avascular necrosis is bone loss in the joints, since 2009 I have had full bilateral hip and shoulder replacements. I also had my right knee fully replaced and two spinal surgeries.

After me and other kids my age where developing Avascular necrosis the oncologist changed the protocol for the steroids. Since they changed the protocol children have not been developing Avascular necrosis. I believe it was meant for me to develop Avascular necrosis because that is just any way god showed me how strong I am.

In my twenty-five years of life I have been through obstacles people experience in a lifetime. The more obstacles you face the stronger you get, I will not let anything drag me down. I believe my experiences and everything I went through made me who I am today, a responsible, caring, loving, strong young women.

Something that has always gotten me through difficult times was what my mom said to me when I was going through treatment. As I continue to deal with medical issues, I thank god for choosing me to save and for giving me a second chance at life.