Today I am a proud dad, avid skier, business owner and husband. For a moment though, let’s flash back to college. I wasn’t feeling well but I needed to take one last final just before winter break. After the final, I went to the school clinic and the next thing I knew it was January and I was in a hospital bed in Denver.
I’m an eight-year survivor of leukemia. I was a happy, healthy young adult. I noticed my body was bruising, and I would fall asleep at work. I didn’t think anything of it, but the bruising kept coming. I have twin girls, and on their birthday, July 1, I went to the ER. They ran all kinds of tests. I felt fine actually. They came back and were talking about white blood counts and oncologists.
Florida is my happy place. It's where I've vacationed for over three decades. And when my husband and I had kids, it became our family's happy place too. Schedules are forbidden on vacation. We tell time by the sun as we sit on the beach with our feet in the sand, watching the tide roll in and out.
Aiden and his identical twin brother, Mason, were born perfectly healthy at 37 weeks. They were great babies and were rarely ever sick. They hit all their milestones on time and were thriving. When they were 2½ years old, I started looking into preschools in the area to begin their education.
Four were spoken that day. Four crushing, breathtaking words, “Your son has cancer.” My world, my life, and my dreams for my son’s future suddenly halted while the rest of the world kept going on around us on May 14, 2011. Only days before, I was deciding what theme to have for his third birthday party and what outfit he would wear for his pictures.
I became aware of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) after I was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). A social worker at the hospital where I was being treated gave my information to the LLS Patient Services Manager, and she called me.
I have donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) for many years. This year I wanted to do more in honor and loving memory of my dad, Frederick.
Leukemia, as many of you know, is a cancer. It damages your body to the point where you are so comfortable with death and dying that it becomes an afterthought because in your mind you’ve already died. You see so many of your friends pass away at such a young age that it is devastating to the point where you become extremely emotionally advanced or numb.
