Tomorrow will be a day of marked beginnings, my stem cell transplant day. In the hospital, day zero starts what will be the next process of your life. After more than 5 months of battling acute myeloid leukemia, my older brother’s stem cells will be used to treat me. I am both nervous and excited. My nurse has just left my room, after sitting with me for close to an hour, being a listening ear while I reflected on this moment...
At 27, no one expects their life to be interrupted by a cancer diagnosis, yet that’s exactly what happened to me. At the time, I was in nursing school, and working a job at the hospital that I loved. I was confident in the direction I was going, and was eager to finish school and start my new career. Until, I suddenly started feeling sick. Going from work to school, I slowly felt a deep fatigue creeping up. I was losing weight, and finding it harder to concentrate in class. I attributed this to returning to school as an adult, but it only continued to progress. Until one one day in class, I got really ill and thought I was going to pass out. I remember the teacher excusing me from class as she stated that it would be wrong for her as a nurse to not send me home to the doctor. I later found myself sitting in the office of a Nurse Practitioner, waiting anxiously for some answers. Our conversation went like this: Nurse: So, what brings you in today? Me: I know this is going to sound crazy, but I just started nursing school and I haven’t been feeling very well. I’m pretty certain I have leukemia, because I have a lot of the symptoms: night sweats, fatigue, loss of appetite and loss of weight. Nurse: Well it sounds to me like you’re having a bit of anxiety about being back to school. Are you struggling with an eating disorder ? Me: This sn’t intentional weight loss. I also think it’s more than just anxiety. Nurse: Well, why don’t I get you the name of a counselor who might better be able to help you today. And so, left with a recommendation to seek a counselor, but with a sinking feeling that something else was wrong. Fast forward a month later, where I am once again waiting to talk to a doctor. I came in with a horrible sore throat, worse than anything I had ever imagined in my life. The doctor took some labs and told me that he would call me tomorrow with the results...
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JennaDedicated to helping you realize your full potential. Spreading smiles and love everywhere I go. Archives
September 2016
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