Acute myeloid leukemia

Dear Cancer: Twisted Symbiosis

Dear Cancer,

When you made my blood your home, I understood you. I always wanted to feel like I belonged somewhere. Walking through my middle school during overcast January days, I kept my head down, unsure of who thought of me as a friend or as a convenient distraction from their own loneliness.

An AYA’s Journey Through AML, Academia, and Advocacy

At the young age of 21, just a few weeks into my first semester of grad school, life took a drastic turn. A diagnosis that no one expects—Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) with the FLT3 mutation. In the midst of textbooks and lectures, my world shifted to hospital rooms and treatment plans. The words “you have cancer” reverberated in my ears, altering the trajectory of my life.

I Hate Thursdays

I hate Thursdays. I can’t say there isn’t a day in the week where I’m not reminded about my experience, where I’m not facing the reality of everything I’ve been through, where a simple butterfly motif or a duck waddling past won’t bring tears to my eyes or where a small bruise won’t send me into a panic. But Thursdays, Thursdays are the worst.

Rose Colored Disco Ball

The question, “Will I ever be able to have kids?” fell out of my mouth without recognizing the weight of it. It was another conversation, with another doctor, about another instance of how cancer would impact my life long-term. What would be deemed an intense and difficult conversation in the real world, I ate for breakfast without batting one of my eyelash-less eyes.