Stories of Hope
To better understand the impact of bone marrow failure, we present stories told by the patients, parents, family members, and spouses who are living with these illnesses. Our entire community benefits from the insightful stories patients and family members share with us about their personal journeys.
Heather Vega
Doctor Helps Determine Her Own Aplastic Anemia and PNH Diagnosis
“I was fortunate to have a medical background, because with it I was able to help diagnose myself with aplastic anemia and PNH,” says Dr. Heather Vega. A Pittsburgh native, she is a family physician living in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania who received her medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.
“I was 30 years old and in a hospital-based practice 12 years ago when I noticed a bruise on my leg,” says Vega. “It was so strange because a few nights prior, I had just had a...
Mary Jo Moss
Aplastic Anemia Patient Meets Physician Who Treated Her 30 Years Ago
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...
Yajaira Suarez
Young Aplastic Anemia Patient Grateful That Life is Returning to Normal
My name is Yajaira and I am 24-years-old, and live in Victorville, California. It has been about two years since I was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. I was a very active, outdoor person who played sports. Never did I think in a million years this could ever happen to me, but it did.
I had just started my new job where I met Teresa, my manager. After four months of working there, she noticed there was something different about me. My skin was pale and bruised. I would get sick constantly and...
Jordan Brown
Family’s Support Spurs Recovery
On July 4th, 2014, my 23-year-old son, Jordan, coming from the Washington DC suburbs, visited us (Barnett and Nelda Brown) in La Place, Louisiana. He wasn’t feeling well, so I convinced him to go to urgent care before leaving to return home. He was given antibiotics because he appeared to have three cysts in his left arm. He made a second trip to urgent care in Virginia to have the cysts lanced and was given a blood test during the procedure.
On Monday July 14th, I received a call at 7 am...
Annie Tighe
Annie Tighe – A Second Transplant Saves Annie
This is the story of my beautiful granddaughter Annie, who celebrated her 13th birthday this April 2014. It’s also the story of Annie’s big sister Katherine, as well as of her mother Melissa, and her father, Tom (my son).
When my husband and I picked Annie up from pre-school in December of 2005, we noticed bruises on her arms and legs. Melissa looked over her body closely that evening and counted 14 bruises! She immediately took Annie to her pediatrician, who took one look at her and said...
Al Meyer
A Rare Case of Aplastic Anemia Later in Life Won't Stop Me
I grew up in Louisiana - born in New Orleans and raised in Lafayette. I joined the Army, and went to Seattle and worked at Madigan General Hospital where I met my wife. I was then sent to Vietnam. After I returned, I worked for a bank in Seattle for 16 years, becoming a vice president and manager. I helped finance an auto auction as part of this job, and as a result, I fell in love with the car businesses. I was accepted for a Ford training program that lasted for two years at a Seattle Ford...
Kendra Arvon
Thankful to Be Here and Alive
I was a very active 17-year-old when I got the news. It was October of 2005, the beginning of high school basketball season in my hometown of Beckley, West Virginia, when I became ill. I thought it was a really bad cold or even the flu, but I was used to being sick and fighting through it, so I didn’t think much about it. I started antibiotics while I continued going to school and playing basketball. I would start to feel better for a while, then BOOM, it would hit me like lightning again. I...
Brittany Springer
Aplastic Anemia Patient “Just Focused on Beating It”
In February of 2011 I was 22-years-old and attending Orange Coast College. One day I began to notice that I was bruising easily. My legs were covered in bruises by the time I went to my doctor. The doctor told me I was probably anemic and run down due to my work and school schedule. She ran a regular CBC blood test.
The next day, I was surprised to see I had missed a call from her. It was after five o’clock so I figured I would call her the next day. I was not feeling sick - maybe a little...
Robin Grapa
A spirit of adventure helps her live life to the fullest
I was a freshman in college when I was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. I didn't have a bone marrow donor match, so I opted for the ATG and cyclosporine treatment. After experiencing seizures, which are a rare side effect to the treatment, I began the slow process of recovery. I felt very blessed that my blood counts began to climb, and eventually leveled out around normal and stayed there ever since.
It was seven years after my treatment when my doctor mentioned "complete remission" to me. I...
Kellie Day
Kellie Day, Debono Scholarship recipient
Kellie was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in March 2005 when she was eleven years old. After two years of unsuccessful treatment, she was diagnosed with a second disease: PNH. Fortunately, she was able to receive a life-saving bone marrow transplant from her brother at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This fall, Kellie will continue her undergraduate studies at Carson-Newman University, in her home state of Tennessee, where she will begin her sophomore year. She is pursuing a degree in...