My Cancer Journey – Lewis J. Christie
My story begins as a 9/11 cancer survivor. Ten years later at the age of seventy one, I was diagnosed with Leukemia (AML).This was after having a bone marrow biopsy, where a needle was inserted in my lower back to take out some fluid. The doctor looking at it said that my white blood cells were way too many. My red blood cells were being squeezed out. He sent me immediately to the hospital to receive two blood transfusions. The red blood count was very low and dangerous. The diagnosis was devastating because I was always in good health. Also, I had no idea, what I should do next. The first oncologist I consulted advised me that the prognosis was very bad, I only had one year to live. My wife and I, then scheduled appointments with other oncologists,who also told me to take a vacation, while I could, since I also had one year to live. There was no encouragement or path to take to survive. I started chemo which lasted for fourteen months, whereby my oncologist said that I should think about a bone marrow transplant, because my cancer could come back much worse, since she only had success with the chemo for about fourteen months. Again, my wife and I found a wonderful oncologist who provided hope that a transplant could save or prolong my life. She searched for a donor through the national bone marrow registry. She found a donor who was a match. In March of 2014, I received the transplant. I spent thirty days in the Bone Marrow Unit in the hospital. I had relatively few side effects, however, six months later it failed for reasons unknown. My red and white blood counts dropped to zero. I was then put back on chemo, while they searched for another donor. Another donor could not be found, however, my oncologist advised that she had success using children of the cancer patient In September 2014, my younger daughter donated her stem cells. She spent a whole day in the hospital, where they took her blood through a machine. Her stem cells were taken out and the rest of her blood was returned to her body. After, I was given a blood transfusion with her stem cells.The side effects were completely different from my first transplant. I had many bad side effects. I could hardly walk, rashes, coughing, blurred eyesight, uncontrollable hiccups, no appetite, muscle cramping, indigestion, numbing (couldn't feel my feet) and night sweats (woke up wet with perspiration) So after thirty days, when I could walk again, I was released from the hospital.
Being home was not easy. Our home had to be cleaned so that I would not develop an infection. I had to be very careful of what I ate. There was a list of things I could not eat such as any deli meats, fruits such as strawberries and raspberries (they could not be properly washed), and any bakery products. My wife cooked all of our meals, absolutely no takeout food. I was also confined to my home for one year. If I went out, I had to wear gloves and a mask. I only went out to doctor visits. Being home, I still had low blood counts. I went to the cancer center weekly to receive blood platelets that help stop bleeding and an injection to boost my white blood count because it was still low. It took months before I was feeling much better. I slowly returned to where I could start eating normally, going outside to walk and seeing friends and relatives. Avoiding any contact with them helped so that I wouldn't get an infection.
It has now been thirteen years since first getting diagnosed. I feel very good and back to almost a normal life. My brother got me started playing golf, My wife and I walk every day. I was a runner, however, that was no longer able for me to do. This does not end my cancer story. I developed Graph Verses Host Disease (GVHD). This disease is only gotten by cancer patients that received a bone marrow transplant. It can be serious. My case has not been very bad. The symptoms are easily bruising, skin peeling constantly, trouble swallowing because food gets stuck in my throat (small bites & drinking helps), harding and cracking of toe and hand nails, dry eyes (use eye drops daily), reduced lung capacity making it hard to breathe at times, tooth decay, and annoying white patches in my mouth. While this may sound terrible, it’s not as bad as it seems. After being through two transplants, I can certainly handle all of this because I am still here! Being positive, is probably one key to getting better. What really helped me were attending support groups, talking to other cancer patients who thought about having a bone marrow transplant or had one, and working as a patient advisor to a company that was developing a computer program to relieve stress in cancer patients. I have a lot of good things to look forward too for the rest of my life.
