白血病幸存者：我如何找到对治疗计划的信心

2017年1月，我24岁，刚刚开始在东北的一家医院工作。开始新工作几天后，我父亲被诊断出患有转移性肝癌。他在我工作的地方住院，所以我每天都能和他共进午餐。几个月后，当我在拜访他时开始严重的胃痛时，我不得不被送往医院。

The doctors thought I may have a hernia. I’d been having intense chills while trying to sleep, but I chalked it up to stress and the fact that it was wintertime.

血液调查表明我有白血病。Initially, my doctors diagnosed me with chronic myeloid leukemia and started me on a three-day, high-dose course of the chemotherapy drug hydroxyurea. I lost a lot of weight in a short period of time during my first round of chemotherapy.

纠正的诊断导致我MD Anderson

几天后，骨髓活检的结果纠正了我的诊断：我患有费城阳性急性淋巴细胞白血病。我不再对自己的治疗计划充满信心，而是决定寻求第二意见。

A friend who worked atMD Andersonsuggested I make an appointment there, so I requested an appointment online.

Two days before my first appointment atMD Anderson, my dad passed away. I was heartbroken, but I knew I had to keep going forward with mycancer treatment。一天后，我坐在去休斯敦的飞机上。

在急性淋巴细胞白血病治疗中找到和平MD Anderson

When I arrived atMD Anderson, I met with leukemia specialistHagop Kantarjian, M.D.，我现在称之为“魔术师”。额外的血统后，坎塔吉安（Kantarjian）证实了我纠正的诊断。他制定了四个周期的治疗计划化学疗法and four cycles of the免疫疗法在七个月的时间里，药物Blinatumomomab。

I didn’t feel great during chemotherapy, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as my experience with hydroxyurea. I still had difficulty with low appetite and keeping weight on. I had no免疫疗法的副作用, which was a pleasant surprise.

在治疗期间，我呆在Rotary House在最初的几周里，然后在该地区租了一套公寓。我妈妈在治疗期间和我在一起。我们在MD Anderson在社区中，他们对我的处境有友善和理解。这在保持我的积极方面有很大的影响。

我的治疗MD Andersonwas physically and emotionally easier on me than my first experience. My care team’s reassurance and confidence in my treatment plan went a long way to ease my mind.

In October 2017, I completed treatment. My care team found no evidence of disease. I was able to go home and restart my life again. I now see a doctor near my home in Washington, D.C., every three months and return toMD Andersonevery six months.

做你每天喜欢的事情

我的癌症诊断和治疗发生在我一生中非常困难的时期。我不仅在悲伤失去父亲。哈维飓风袭击休斯顿时，我也在医院里。最近，2019冠状病毒病大流行has forced me to stay vigilant about avoiding infection.

Still, I view my time during treatment as a gift. While I was battling this horrible thing, I figured I could at least slow down and pick up my hobbies. I could read or I could crochet - the possibilities were endless. With that mindset, I found that I was able to use the time to try new skills.

It might seem more than difficult for a while, but I always encourage anyone going through cancer treatment to do little things that brings you joy every single day. If all you do is think about cancer and treatment, it’s miserable. That’s why a distraction can be powerful. Instead of focusing on, “What will I do when I’m better?” think of it as “At this point, I can do anything.”

Request an appointment at MD Anderson onlineor by calling 1-877-632-6789.