By MENDYA GRIFFITH
Whether you care to admit it or not, those of us who have traveled down the bone marrow transplant (BMT) road are connected in some way. We have all been at the receiving end of an oncologist-hematologist delivering the sad news about a blood cancer diagnosis. We’ve all obsessed over the transplant procedure, what it would feel like, and whether it is at all like having a surgical procedure. We all know what it is like to be waiting on lab results to see if our white blood cell counts are increasing as well as monitoring our chimerism.
A diagnosis of either leukemia or lymphoma is devastating. The initial findings of irregular lab work are one of the most negatively impacting reports one could ever receive. How could anyone have anything positive to say about blood cancer and what it feels like to merely hear those words? What is the good that comes from battling such a disease? Initially, it is challenging not to deem this experience, this chapter in one’s life as not being a setback or a stroke of bad luck. We can easily identify the areas in our lives hit hardest by the news of any type of cancer. Amid the storm, how many of us have been commissioned to turn lemons into lemonade? How many of us seized the opportunity to triumph over what’s intended to be tragic?
I urge you, my fellow blood cancer survivors, and BMT community to search inside yourselves, assess where you are in life and determine if there are any positive takeaways from this entire ordeal. How might we add value, intention, and increase into our lives post-diagnosis? If your situation has been anything like mine, between having round after round of chemotherapy and moving forward with transplant. I have had plenty of time to consider how I might lead my new life once on the right side of cancer. Feeling as though I have met my own mortality, I now understand the true meaning of the phrase “You only live once.” We have one shot at this thing called life. I do not know about you, but I am going to live it to the fullest. I have acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to thank for my newfound insight.
Bone marrow transplant community; now is the time to check things off your bucket list! And for those of you who do not have a bucket list, go ahead, and put one together. I assure you, you will not regret it. Think back to life before diagnosis. Was life sort of mundane, lacking purpose? In today’s hustle and bustle society many of us get caught up in living to get by day to day with no intentionality. I choose to live with no regret! What more is there to be afraid of, what is more frightening than a cancer diagnosis? Nothing! So go ahead and do it! Come and go with me on a journey of exploration while maximizing our potential. Let us find the “good in the bad.”
Think about it. How can you use your diagnosis to serve a greater purpose? What are the ways in which you can turn things around for the better and live aloud?
I will start by saying I have been pursuing goals that I had forgotten about. AML has given me the strength to face my fears, go forth, and conquer. I have tapped into some of my God given talents and gifts for the purpose of pouring into the lives of others. I am in a season of benevolence; thanks to the scarcity of resources I encountered during treatment. I have learned how to make sacrifices for others; thanks to the many sacrifices that were made for me along the way. And I have learned to make a mental note that no matter how hard things seem, remain in good spirits, and expect a positive outcome. And lastly, more than ever to be kind and loving to the next person because you never know if it is going to be your last time. I believe it would be beneficial to focus on a brighter day and a new beginning. Let’s talk. Tell me how you can turn this “Why me, whoa it’s me, what was intended to be a bad situation” into a life enhancing experience. I can’t wait to hear from you all.