Inspirational Stories

I thought I was super healthy.

It was October 2017, and I had just run a half marathon a few days before. I went to get my blood tested to see if I still was eligible to donate a kidney to a friend who needed one. Four years earlier, I had gone through all the testing and was approved to be a donor for her, but her kidney function had improved enough that she didn't need a transplant right then. By late summer 2017, her condition had deteriorated, so I went back in to restart the process.

I saw the results of the blood test on my electronic patient record and called a doctor in the transplant office. My numbers looked weird to me, and I asked her if the results could have been affected by my recent running of a 13.1-mile-long race. She said, no, the numbers indicated I had a lymphoproliferative disorder, probably blood cancer, so I wouldn't be able to donate a kidney.

Yikes.

That led to doctors’ visits, tests, scans, and a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). It wasn't bad enough yet to require treatment, so I went into "watch and wait" mode. For a couple of years, every weird sensation or symptom prompted me to check in with the doctor's office. But my numbers still were within the acceptable range, and I eventually stopped overreacting to fatigue, dizziness, or an occasional bout of night sweats.

I went in for my regular bloodwork at the end of July 2024. I felt fine, but my platelets had finally dropped below 100, the point where my doctor starts to consider treatment. I have to go back in for another blood test in six weeks, and if my platelets are still low, I'll have to start taking medicine. But I have been fortunate to be on "watch and wait" for so long, and the drugs that treat CLL have improved a lot since 2017. I'm optimistic that all will go well.

Incidentally, my friend was able to find another kidney donor, and she's doing well. Also, I'm still running, which I think helps my overall health. I have another half marathon scheduled for this fall.