Today is my 22nd anniversary of my bone marrow transplant. I remember some parts like it was yesterday and other parts of that illness that lasted 3 years are blocked out completely.
What I do know is I was one of three recipients to survive post 20 years, without Janet I’d be dead, without leukemia we would not know Larry Su (AKA Fossy Bear) and without the transplant I would not have survived to go another round…As they say ‘the longer you live, the longer you live.
A friend sent me this quote today from Philly
My favourite quote in the world. Think I’ll watch Rocky Balboa today! I feel invincible.
Happy days xx
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Published by Debra Mesecke
I was 21 and I was planning a wedding, buying a house and had a job interview for the job of my dreams on my 22nd birthday. You see I was being made redundant and had to find a new job by August. Especially with the new mortgage now. It was April. I worked for CML and my new job was a done deal. All I needed was a medical. And with that, just like that....my life was turned upside down and I was diagnosed with CML, ha ha, I know the irony. My hematologist had a laugh at that too. I had Chronic Myeloid Leukeamia, which was normally reserved for 70 year old men. Quite rare for a young adult to get, so how would they treat it? I underwent two separate trials until finally it was decided my best chance of survival (all be it only 50% chance), would be a MUD BMT (matched unrelated bone marrow transplant), now known as VUD Allograt (volunteer unrelated donor). I was told 21 years ago the chance of finding a match was 1 in 20,000 (and that is everyone was on the bone marrow donor registry). Scary odds. So being the risk taker I am I said "go for it". They found a match and that was my first miracle in this journey. The second miracle was, it worked - new blood type, two different DNA profiles and the miracle of medicine was reborn inside me. The third miracle is my son.
25 years on, I now face a new challenge. Breast Cancer. Certainly not the first person to have cancer, to have invasive ductile cancer, hormone receptive and HER2 +, or to even have a dual diagnosis. But this is not another Webiste about a cancer survivor, this is just my excuse to finally publicly write. Along the way I am hoping I can share some insights I have learnt over the years and at the same time, give you a good belly laugh.
View all posts by Debra Mesecke
Healthy, Happy & Whole 
I will raise a glass of white tonight and thank the universe allowing all things to align 22 years ago. I can’t imagine a world without you in it. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember when you were getting your transplant and we came in to visit you. I don’t think i realised at the time how serious it all was, me
being so young and naive. You are such an amazingly strong and resilient woman and i feel so blessed and thankful to have known you all these years. Cheers to one of the most beautiful souls i know. xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh i renember, a very lovely memory xx
LikeLike