Inspirational Stories

After a family vacation with her four kids and husband of 20 years, Latasha couldn't eat or hold her head up. After being in bed for almost a month, she thought she had the flu when her doctor broke the news that she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and anemia.

Latasha had a particularly rough journey. Because she was anemic, she needed a blood transfusion and soon after came down (twice) with pneumonia. She then had more infections as well as issues with her vision, and after coming into contact with a sick child had to be put on life support because her cell count plummeted drastically. In order to save her life, doctors also had to paralyze Latasha forcing her to learn how to walk and talk again.

Because of the drastic measures necessary to save her, Latasha's family was told she would be in a vegetative state. Yet today, Latasha is very much alive and says, "I'm still here and most importantly my smile didn't change, and cancer didn't change me." The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is focused on ensuring a world without blood cancer so that no one has to go through what Latasha has - not someday, but today.

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