Did you know June is National Cancer Survivor Month? It serves as an important reminder to celebrate and support the many survivors who have bravely and successfully battled cancer. Here at LTX, our focus is specifically on Texans fighting leukemia, a blood cancer.
Thanks to significant advances in cancer research, more than 18 million people in the US are cancer survivors who are living with, through, and beyond their disease, per the American Association for Cancer Research. Every survivor’s experience is unique as they may face challenges during and after treatments. But with those advances in cancer research, adverse effects can be controlled, treated, and prevented.
We thought this would be a great opportunity to provide an update on one of our LTX patient aid recipients, who is not only surviving but thriving. Her name is Karen, and this is her story in her own words.
This was Karen’s original story below about her diagnosis, life changes, financial hardships and how receiving patient aid from LTX was so helpful.
“Hearing the words ‘you have cancer’ on Thanksgiving Day in the hospital changed my life forever. I was about to graduate from nursing school and start my career as a NICU nurse. Suddenly, everything I had planned was thrown out the window and all I could think about was surviving. I wondered if I’d even get to see any of it happen. But I am proud to say that I made it through! And, thanks to the clinical trial I am part of, I wake up each day feeing so blessed to be here fulfilling my dreams.
The financial side of treatment added to my stress and fears. There were SO many bills from so many hospitals and call after call letting me know my insurance denied some of it. Also, I was unable to work for several months, and the bills just kept piling up. This financial aid from Leukemia Texas means everything to me! Any kind of funding takes a huge load off for cancer patients. Thank you, Leukemia Texas! This will be such a big help as I start maintenance this fall. I’ll be using it to help pay for my oral chemo that’s keeping me alive!”
And below is Karen’s most recent update that she provided us this month. We’re so happy when we hear back from patients with such good news!
“I am now two years into my career as a NICU RN. I’ve been able to become financially independent and have enjoyed traveling quite a bit this year. I am still cancer free, enjoying life, and have been off treatment since January! Now, I just visit MD Anderson in Houston once every three months to do a bone marrow biopsy for monitoring. I’ve also joined an AYA support group in Dallas through UTSW and have met some great people through it. I know I’ll always have obstacles being a cancer survivor, but I’m loving this stage in my life. Looking forward for the future! And, hoping to continue to thrive in my personal growth, my career and start a family someday.”
–Karen, a Patient Aid recipient
