Hi! My name is Ally. As a fundraiser, I've always engaged with the community to raise funds for a cause. It feels weird that now, I'm doing it for myself.

Six years ago, I received the life-changing diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I received chemo from the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, and my blood counts failed to recover for 10 months. My doctors suspected aplastic anemia then.

Luckily, my blood counts eventually recovered. I returned to my normal life, got my Master's degree, and started working at the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (PMCF). It felt rewarding and fulfilling working towards a meaningful cause of helping other cancer patients.

On October 2nd, I just passed my 6th year cancer-free milestone and celebrated the completion of my internship at PMCF. I saw the gut-wrenching red dots on my legs - the very same I had when I was diagnosed with leukemia. I rushed to the ER, and indeed, my platelets have dropped. Later, my immune system also shut down, leaving me prone to infections. What followed in the next weeks was a series of deja vu tests, biopsies, antibiotics, and blood transfusions.

After a limbo phase of waiting for results, my doctor told me, "It's not leukemia this time. It's severe aplastic anemia." Unlike six years ago, this time it's unlikely it'll recover on its own. Only 5% of my bone marrow is producing blood cells, and I need a bone marrow transplant. My life is put on pause yet again until I heal.

I'm grateful that I live in Canada, where universal healthcare covers the major costs of transplant, chemo, and hospitalization. I’m also incredibly thankful to be receiving care at Princess Margaret - one of the best hospitals in the world, with extensive experience in stem cell transplants.

However, even with universal healthcare, a bone marrow transplant still comes with many expenses that create significant financial strain for patients and their families.

Your generous donation will help me and my family manage the costs over the next year during my treatment - things like transportation to and from the hospital, uninsured medications, fertility preservation, meals, nutritional supplements, and daily living expenses while I'm unable to work.

Your support helps ease the financial burden on my family, so I can focus fully on healing. Truly, no amount is too small.

If you’re not in a position to donate, that is completely ok. I’d still love to hear from you and chat about life (turns out: it gets pretty lonely in an isolated room, haha).

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support! I’m looking forward to connecting with you

With gratitude,

Ally