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After Denise’s Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) went into remission in 2011, her life was pretty normal for four years, until a harmless looking cyst in her eye tested positive for leukemic cells in late December 2015. Then on New Year’s Day, she began to notice petechiae and bruising on her body -- a tell-tale sign that her leukemia returned. She was admitted into the hospital that evening. A biopsy performed soon after confirmed the disappointing news that she relapsed.
The doctor told her a bone marrow transplant was her best chance at long-term recovery. The search process for an unrelated bone marrow donor began immediately, but first she needed to achieve remission again.
She spent the next 40 days in the hospital being transfused with a new immunotherapy treatment. At first, it seemed as if Denise was unable to tolerate the full dose of the cell therapy. She experienced many weeks of fevers, chills, hypotension, and migraines. At the end of her treatment cycle in late February, she had another biopsy and was told that she was in second remission. In order to keep her in remission until a donor was found, she continued with her immunotherapy spending each cycle in the hospital for one month at a time.
Around the start of the third cycle in April, she received word that a suitable donor was found.
She is scheduled to arrive at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance on May 10, 2016 to start a four-month long journey that will hopefully result in the cure of this disease and she can finally “Kiss Her Cancer Goodbye!” The doctor told her this will be the hardest thing she will ever have to endure.
Denise's insurance does not cover any travel, lodging, or living expenses in Seattle. Both she and her husband, Darren, will be out of work while he accompanies her to the transplant center to serve as her caregiver.
Your financial support will help allay their worries about covering these costs, and will allow Denise to focus on staying strong during her transplant procedure and recovery.
One of Denise’s favorite quotes is by Robin Roberts: "True strength isn't when you face down life's challenges on your own, it's when you take them on by accepting the help, faith and love of others and knowing you are lucky to have those.”
Follow Denise’s journey on http://posthope.org/kiss-cancer-goodbye
The doctor told her a bone marrow transplant was her best chance at long-term recovery. The search process for an unrelated bone marrow donor began immediately, but first she needed to achieve remission again.
She spent the next 40 days in the hospital being transfused with a new immunotherapy treatment. At first, it seemed as if Denise was unable to tolerate the full dose of the cell therapy. She experienced many weeks of fevers, chills, hypotension, and migraines. At the end of her treatment cycle in late February, she had another biopsy and was told that she was in second remission. In order to keep her in remission until a donor was found, she continued with her immunotherapy spending each cycle in the hospital for one month at a time.
Around the start of the third cycle in April, she received word that a suitable donor was found.
She is scheduled to arrive at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance on May 10, 2016 to start a four-month long journey that will hopefully result in the cure of this disease and she can finally “Kiss Her Cancer Goodbye!” The doctor told her this will be the hardest thing she will ever have to endure.
Denise's insurance does not cover any travel, lodging, or living expenses in Seattle. Both she and her husband, Darren, will be out of work while he accompanies her to the transplant center to serve as her caregiver.
Your financial support will help allay their worries about covering these costs, and will allow Denise to focus on staying strong during her transplant procedure and recovery.
One of Denise’s favorite quotes is by Robin Roberts: "True strength isn't when you face down life's challenges on your own, it's when you take them on by accepting the help, faith and love of others and knowing you are lucky to have those.”
Follow Denise’s journey on http://posthope.org/kiss-cancer-goodbye