Alyssa’s fight with Chronic myeloid leukemia

I have created this go fund me to help support my sister and her family while she starts her fight with Chronic myeloid leukemia. Alyssa loves and lives for her family but most specifically her husband Tyler and their 5 year old son Walker (her biggest joy in life). She is one of the strongest people I know, and my best best friend in this world; she will fight and make it through this challenging journey ahead of her.

As of right now she will be in Kingston 3x a week for blood work and transfusions as well as starting on her treatment. This fundraiser will help cover gas/food/bills etc. she is unable to work for the time being due to the unknown of her hospital visits at the moment.

For anyone who doesn’t know (like I didn’t) I will provide some info on her type of cancer and what she is going through.

*In chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), the bone marrow makes too many granulocytes. This happens because of a genetic change (mutation) called the BCR-ABL gene. The mutation changes the cells so they don't become normal granulocytes. These abnormal granulocytes with the BCR-ABL gene may be called leukemia cells or CML cells. As the disease progresses, the CML cells build up in the bone marrow and the blood. As more and more cells collect, they crowd out the healthy blood cells so they can't do their jobs.*

***symptoms Alyssa has been exhibiting over the last bit which caused her to go to the hospital on February 13th.

• fatigue

• a general feeling of discomfort or illness (called malaise)

• loss of appetite

• weight loss

• paleness

• weakness

• dizziness

• easy bruising

• vomiting

• headache

• night sweats

• bone or joint pain

• abdominal discomfort or feeling of fullness

•a VERY enlarged spleen due to the high levels of white blood cells causing pain and discomfort***

Below I am including Alyssa’s writing, she has always been great with words and I feel like it is important for you all to hear from her side.

to my younger self,

on February 13th, 2024 you will go to the hospital because of a lump in your abdomen and in the early hours of February 14th, 2024 you will hear the word leukemia for the first time. you will call your husband, your mom, your dad and your family and ultimately you will crash their worlds with 3 words “i have cancer”.

you will be scared and that’s okay, being scared does not make you weak it makes you human so be scared, be sad, cry, scream do whatever you need to do because girl this is your journey and your fight.

over the next week you will be in and out of doctors and living in what feels like limbo.

you will have a bone marrow biopsy that gives your doctors a hard time and they will have to spend a lot of time in there and go in both sides in attempts to get samples but let them even though it’s painful let them go in the left hip because they get the samples.

february 23rd will be the day a doctor official tells you that your blood and bone marrow confirm you have CML(Chronic myeloid leukemia) and it’s okay if you still don’t fully understand what that is because you will learn.

even though leading up to this day you were already told this is what you had you will still cry because that sliver of hope that they were wrong is gone.

you will be told if you have to have cancer this is the cancer to get but don’t let that make you feel like your fears are any less valid.

hold your support system close and know your circle is bigger than you ever imagined and they are all here for you.

the weeks ahead will be full of unknowns but what i do know is we’ve got this.

this will be our fight and we will fight hard.

*thank you to my amazing husband, family/loved ones, friends, coworkers etc for all your support. not one of your messages and kind gestures go unnoticed. thanks to @kristinaswank for holding my hand that morning as i got the news and being an amazing nurse, i could never begin to express my gratitude for you*