Inspirational Stories

I am an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) survivor. I am now 10 months post-transplant and feeling stronger every day.
I was born and raised in the Bay Area to South African Indian parents. I hold degrees from UC Berkeley and USC. I have built my career around advocating for equity in tech and marketing services that uplift underrepresented communities.

At 27, I was diagnosed with AML after nearly two months of unexplained fatigue, recurring ear infections, and viral symptoms. After multiple virtual visits and rounds of antibiotics, I finally walked into urgent care just before the holidays, and within an hour, on December 18, 2023, I was told I had leukemia. I was rushed to Stanford the same day to begin treatment.
My leukemia included CEBPA, WT1, and CSF3R mutations. Though I achieved an initial remission, I relapsed four months later, just as I was preparing for my transplant. Due to my South African Indian background, my initial mismatched donors were ruled out. With limited options left, my doctors gave me one last shot — a double cord blood transplant.

I underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy, including FLAG-IDA and venetoclax, followed by total body irradiation and a transplant in July 2024. I endured a long road — from false MRD scares to graft versus host disease (GVHD) and a complex immune recovery — all while carrying the emotional weight of being young and a person of color navigating a system that didn’t always see me.

I am forever grateful to Dr. Tian Zhang, Dr. Hrishikesh Srinagesh, and Dr. Lori Muffly, whose compassion, brilliance, and belief in my story transformed my fear into survivorship and advocacy to help others.

Today, I’m proud to be in remission and giving back. I volunteer with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and Stanford, mentor newly diagnosed AYA patients, and share my journey to shed light on survivorship and the systemic gaps that still need to be addressed in cancer care. This disease tried to isolate me. But I’ve chosen to rise to connect, advocate, and build a community where no one feels invisible.