eBulletin / eInsider (story of hope)

I believe that a story is the shortest distance between two people. While this is my story, it is not just mine, and I did not do any of this alone. In April 1983, my husband Joe and I were 25 years old and attending to the required pre-marital blood work. Next thing we knew, we were sitting in a doctor’s office because my blood counts were abnormally low. They told us there was something wrong, but they didn’t know what it was.

“I was fortunate to have a medical background, because with it I was able to help diagnose myself with

For so long, I have been quietly racking up the years - 33 in all - since my diagnosis and transplant. I have done so well and had so few problems that I felt I had nothing to share. But as the years have gone by, I have begun to realize how few of us long-term survivors there are and how truly blessed I am to just be alive! By reading the comments when I post a milestone birthday, I am overwhelmed with the response from others who have walked this path, who are just beginning the journey, or are fearful for their loved one’s future.

In February 2012, I was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disease that has no cure except for a stem cell transplant. Because I was in my mid-70s, a bone marrow transplant wasn’t the best option.

"I discovered that I might not live to my 40th birthday."

My name is Ndeye Anta Sene. I am 22 years old and live in Maryland.  I was born in Senegal, in West Africa and in December 2007 came to the United States by myself at age 16 due to medical issues.