Alexandra

Alexandra
VolunteerMy dad was diagnosed with leukemia this past fall. Our family was left in utter shock as my dad was the epitome of health his whole life.
My dad was diagnosed with leukemia this past fall. Our family was left in utter shock as my dad was the epitome of health his whole life.
In the fall of 2002, I had a missed call and a “call me when you’re out of class” text from my Dad. I was a sophomore at the University of Georgia when I heard, “Honey, I have cancer. Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM).” So, I took a deep breath and asked, “Okay, so what’s next? Surgery? Radiation? Chemo?” “Nothing, we wait until it gets bad enough for treatment.”
On February 2nd, 2019 my youngest daughter, Harper, was diagnosed with leukemia. Three and a half years later as I'm writing this I have a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.
My story began nearly seven years ago on February 28 when I received the call from my doctor and heard those dreaded words, “You have cancer.” A week prior, I had gotten a lymph node biopsy for a lump that randomly grew on my neck.
In November 2016 I was tired. TIRED. I had a 20-month-old and a 4-year-old, had just come off the busiest month of the year for work, and I figured I was tired for no other reason. But then tired became not having the energy to take care of my 20-month-old.
Born in Egypt, at the age of three, me and my family immigrated to the U.S. when I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). I grew up in Long Island, New York, where I received treatment for 10 years.
I have a unique story. In 1978 after being married for three weeks, my wife was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Seven months later she passed away.
I was diagnosed with stage 4 T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (T-NHL) nearly 20 years ago in March of 2002. By the grace and power of God and modern medicine, I have been cancer-free for the last 20 years!