Inspirational Stories

On New Year's Day 2012, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I watched the ball drop in the ICU with a nurse assigned to me. They heard my mom being asked if I needed to be resuscitated, so they proceeded with that and then to hear her respond to do everything you can for her. The seriousness of that is very overwhelming. 

I woke up that morning at 5:23 a.m. My clothes were stuck to me. I made my way to the shower so that I could run cold water over myself. I was so hot. I remember going over to turn the heat off, but it was already off. So, at some point, I had already turned the heat off. When I got to the bathroom and got into the shower and ran really cold water over myself, I began to take my clothes off. I got out of the shower when I felt a little better and called my dad. I told him that I didn't know what was wrong exactly, but I did explain what was going on and that I needed to get to the ER quickly. I was so weak, but I got myself dressed. I sat on the couch, and I dialed 911 but did not hit the send button. I felt like if I got any weaker or if I got more tired or before my dad made it to me, I was just going to call 911 and get them on the way. 

I got to the emergency room, and my fever was 104 point something. My lungs were only working at 40%. They did an MRI because I had a headache and bloodwork before that. When I got back to my room, there were already things being brought to the room to hook me up to. The ER doctor said he knew by looking at the bloodwork that I had something called leukemia, and it's cancer. He told me that my lungs were really working at 40%, my liver function was at a dangerous level, my kidneys were failing, and he didn't know how I even walked into that ER that morning. He told me to call my family because it was a very serious situation. He had already called the hematologist-oncologist at the regional cancer center here in Erie, Pennsylvania. I was rushed to the ICU. I was taken care of until the hematologist oncologist got there to do a bone marrow biopsy. The biopsy was very excruciating and very traumatic, but it had to be done. The next morning, I was diagnosed with leukemia. On January 3, I was told what type of leukemia; it was AML. 

I had a horrific experience in the ICU at the hospital, but on the cancer floor, I was treated like I was the only patient there. The kindness, the level of compassion, and the level of love that the nurses and my doctor had were really outstanding. My dad was my biggest supporter. My dad was at that hospital with me an hour before visiting time every single day. I stayed in the hospital for almost four months. I had no health insurance, and at that time, I was on unemployment. The daycare where I worked had closed down. The hospital, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), my doctors from the cancer center, and the nursing staff at the hospital fought for me to get county assistance to help me pay for outpatient chemo, and it refused. I heard stories like this on CNN where people with terminal illnesses and life-threatening diseases were not able to get health insurance. I had prepared myself to speak to the media and sign papers with the hospital to permit them to come into my room and interview me. We were prepared to fight. But the letters that were sent on my behalf by everyone worked, and that was overturned, and I was able to get health insurance for the outpatient treatments. I am now in remission from AML. 

LLS is awesome. They provided peer support and transportation to and from my chemo appointments and sent monthly checks to help me with bills or food or anything that I needed. I'm so very grateful for every volunteer, every person who prayed for me, and everyone who advocated for me. And to anyone who is going through this, keep her head up, do what the doctors tell you to do, but most importantly, find it in yourself to stay motivated to survive.