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HI, where do i start?
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Hello, I am new to this type of forum sharing of my cancer experience ,so basically , where do I start on here?
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I am a husband to Grace, A father of 3 children. Nathan (19) Alanna (14) and Aaron (11). I live in the west coast of Ayrshire, and I am really proud to announce that I am 7 days off my 10th anniversary of my bone marrow transplant ( carried out in Glasgow ) to cure my acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.
It has been a roller coaster ride of ups and downs through those years and I have only just received the details of my donor !! which will stay private. I am also a few months off my 50th birthday so I have 3 events to celebrate this year.
I have a 3rd cousin in the USA who has shared the same experience and cancer as myself , the good thing is she is 11 years ahead of me regarding the treatment. The unusual thing is, we had the same cancer at the same age ( 38 ). We are of the same generation and share the same great grandparents, so both of us think it may have been an inherited gene that triggers the cancer we endured.
Memory loss is one of my little problems right now. so I may only type inhere bits and piece's now and again, when I remember.
That's all I'm going to put on for now as I'm finding it difficult to put my feelings down.
This is an awesome achievement, an amazing milestone that you should celebrate fully, a story of hope to many who read this forum I am sure. Your age at diagnosis and the age of your children are very similar to mine, so your story struck a chord and is a dream of mine that I hope turns into reality. I wish you all the very best and welcome to this forum - I am sure you will have a wealth of experience that will be prove invaluable to everyone on here.
Greg
Thats a fantastic insight and so good to hear from someone who is well so long after transplant, and your 3rd cousin who is even further post transplant. I also had ALL (4 years ago) so it is really reassuring to hear that we can survive post transplant for so long and there is no reason why we shouldn't live a long, healthy fulfilling life after treatment. Many happy returns for your 10th anniversary next week and all the best for your 50th (I turned 50 last October and it's not at all bad!)
I know what you mean about memory loss and it's true that 'Chemo Brain' is a real condition that seems to affect us. I regularly struggle to remember names and think of the right word when speaking, but I've learned to live with it and those around me know I struggle so I'm not too concerned.
Interesting what you say about an abnormal gene due to both of you getting the same disease at the same age. I was always told my ALL was not genetic or hereditary, which I hope is the case as I have three children myself.
Thank you very much for posting and I hope you stick around as I'm sure there is lots you can contribute through your experience over the past 10 years.
All the best,
Steve
That's fantastic that you've made contact with your donor and got on so well. If you think about it you are now partly him anyway! I'm sure it must be reassuring to our donors that they hear we are doing well and that their potential to save our lives has been successful. I'm sure you will meet in due course and I hope that goes well, but I guess there will be all sorts of emotions in play when you do.
Kind regards,
Steve