Inspirational Stories

I’m from Hungary. I’m 34 years old and just recently moved to Durango, Colorado, to marry my husband, Joe. For two years, we worked through a long-distance relationship during COVID and thought we would never face a tougher task in life than facing an uncertain future beset by travel restrictions, an eight-hour time difference, and thousands of miles. We wed in July, settled into our house we’d moved into in March, and I had just qualified for my work permit and landed a wonderful job as the Communications Specialist at a local non-profit.

We’d just started our life together, and suddenly life took a sharp detour.

A couple of days before Christmas, on my return from a weekend trip to Chicago, I felt was struggling with a little fever and some heavy fatigue. Six weeks before, I’d recovered from COVID, and we thought maybe they were just “long-hauler” symptoms. But a series of mysterious bruises on my legs that appeared seemingly overnight prompted deeper consideration. Trusting our guts, we went to the Urgent Care where they requested a full battery of blood panels. That Sunday night, the ER doctor at Mercy Medical Center called and told me to pack a bag and to be there within the hour. Early the next morning, I was airlifted to Denver’s Colorado Blood Cancer Institute at Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, where I currently am in the midst of the first 30-days of inpatient chemotherapy treatment.

I have been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Although it is curable, the process to remission is a long one, almost three years, and there is a whole life change ahead. 

I cannot begin to express my gratitude to my doctor, Marcello Rotta, for accepting me, along with all the other doctors, nurses, and staff here at CBCI and PSL.

I am positive, retain my outlook, and practice deep mindfulness because, in addition to this one-of-a-kind treatment, there is no other option and no better weapons for me to fight, sustain, and heal. With additional support from organizations like The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), for which I am eternally grateful, my recovery is not even a question in my mind.

Thank you, LLS, for always reaching out, offering to help, asking how I am, and sending positive support and thoughts. You are more helpful to us #CancerWarriors than you may ever realize.