My darkest day, May 1, 2022. Alacia, my daughter, is a strong-willed, beautiful young woman. She had just turned 23 years of age and began experiencing small symptoms that I, her mother and a nurse of 24 years, chalked up to nothing. She was itching ― it was winter, and your skin was dry. She was short of breath ― you are recovering from COVID and have post-COVID funk.
On December 29, 2023, my life took an unexpected turn. My family and I were traveling to California for the holidays when, during takeoff back to Georgia, I felt a sudden pop in my chest as the cabin pressure changed. I was immediately struck by intense pain, unable to move or catch my breath. Determined to hold on until we landed, I braced myself through the agony.
Can you imagine being a single mom by circumstances out of her control, navigating uncontrollable circumstances, as her identical twins display remarkable fortitude in the face of cancer, diagnosed three years apart? Successful at a well-paying job that afforded her the ability to support the boys and four other siblings in grade school.
My name is Ashley, and I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on February 21, 2024, during my junior year at Texas Tech University. I was struggling with my health for a couple of months but brushed it off as being tired from schoolwork as well as thinking I was just dehydrated.
Story was diagnosed with biphenotypic leukemia (BAL) in July 2010. She was four years old at the time. She was treated with two rounds of “high-risk protocol” chemo. She was in complete remission after 60 days. However, because of her particular diagnosis, we were advised that she needed a bone marrow transplant to have the best chance of long-term remission.
In the blink of an eye, our lives can crumble underneath us like a tsunami drowning the life out of a city. Many of us unknowingly stand on the edge of an eroding cliff and one slip away from relinquishing our most desired aspirations. At 19 years old, I stood inches away from the edge of that cliff when I was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia (ET).
I’d like to share my daughter’s story. Her name is Kristen, and she is 10 years in remission now after being treated for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). December 2024 will be 11 years. We have been attending Light The Night (LTN) for the last eight years and bring friends and family each time. It is a great event that offers support for all patients and family members.
Everything was going great in life. I had just quit my job to pursue my dreams of starting a business, moved closer to family, bought our first house, and got a puppy. Then, a small lump on my neck changed my life forever.
I've been waiting for that moment for six months, since the day the doctors told me I had to do chemo to treat my Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in February 2023. From constant ER visits, going through multiple thoracentesis, concerning symptoms, and a biopsy on the neck due to a visible lump, I finally got the answer to what had been (at the time) weighing so heavily on my shoulders. I had cancer.
My name is Ashlyn, and I am a leukemia survivor. At the age of 17, during my senior year of high school, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is a rare cancer that affects your bone marrow and blood. My life changed on March 21, 2023, when I got this news. How could this be possible? Why me? Will I survive? These were some of the first few questions that entered my mind.