Inspirational Stories

Jordana was busy being a mom, wife, and radio host when she began experiencing fatigue, hot flashes, and bruising in the fall of 2020.

“I've been feeling crappy for a few months, very fatigued. About two weeks ago I noticed some large bruising on my legs but didn't remember bumping myself,” Jordana wrote in her first journal entry on CaringBridge. “I went for some bloodwork. Tuesday night my doctor called and said I need to go to the ER as my platelets were low. They admitted me, did a bone marrow biopsy, and 12 hours later told me I had leukemia.”

That was Tuesday, October 21, 2020, the day she was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) at the age of 49. By that Friday, she and her husband were on their way to the Mayo Clinic for her to begin eight months of hyper-CVAD chemotherapy.

During treatment, she experienced extreme chemo toxicity with fatigue, hair loss, nausea, and bleeding, but through it all, she continued to join her radio team on-air when she could from her hospital room.

“I have chronicled my diagnosis and treatment on Instagram. I have done my radio show from my hospital room while getting chemo and taken others along with my CaringBridge. Sharing the journey, the pain, the disappointments, and the wins with others has helped me. Their support, prayers, and good energy have kept me upbeat during the hardest moments,” said Jordana.

Jordana shared that she used to emcee The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) events in Indianapolis when she was a news anchor there 20 years ago. She had no idea she would ever be a leukemia survivor herself.

Her words of encouragement to others are simple, “It's okay not to feel strong. It's okay to rest. You are your own best champion.”

Jordana has been in remission since her induction treatment last November. She still has two years of maintenance chemo ahead of her but remains positive.

“I still tell myself out loud, 'You can do this, you're going to be ok, you got this.’"