Leukemia

My son, Ashen graduated from high school this year, but he was diagnosed with leukemia back in July 2015. He was devastated and depressed when he was told of his life threatening illness. Here is his story.

In August 2014, at age 48, I was literally in the best shape of my life. I was an avid cyclist, averaging more than 150 miles per week, leading groups of riders for my cycling club, and completing multiple 100-mile century rides in a single season. Over the course of just a few days, while cycling, I noticed a sudden setback in my performance.

"I am a chronic leukemia-fighting mother of 4 boys and wife. In 2009, I was diagnosed with Essential Thrombocythemia. The diagnosis came after having multiple cerebellar strokes caused by a certebral artery dissection and a platelet count of 1.5 million, which is more than 3 times the normal limit.

At age 2, Callie started having trouble walking after a fall in early November 2015. After seeing a pediatric orthopedist for weeks and then a pediatric neurologist for an MRI of her brain and spine, we finally got an answer in January as to what was going on with our little girl.

My name is Glenn Gutierrez and at 48 years of age I had never contemplated the idea of having to deal with cancer and its treatment. It was hard to think that potentially I could succumb to this, especially when I was father to two young men who still needed me, and son to an aging mother who sadly passed on from complications related to Alzheimer's while I underwent treatment.

Savanna, age ten, was diagnosed with high risk Pre B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in May 2014. She was in and out of the hospital for 114 days – close to half of a year!

Dorothy Spriggs was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in 1999 and is currently doing well.

Since 2011, “Ms. Dottie” has volunteered with the Baltimore chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  She does office work regularly, participates in events and volunteers as a peer counselor to support others living with the same diagnosis.

I was diagnosed with CML on May 25, 2010. Up until December 16, 2013 my disease was managed by oral chemo, then unexpectedly, I went into a blast crisis and progressed to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).