I looked over at the ER nurse, or tried to.

"Is there really nothing you can give me for the vertigo?" The room continued to spin around me as I held yet another kleenex to my bloody nose.

She shook her head as a sharp knock resounded from the door and without waiting for a response someone walked in.

From what I could tell through the dizziness she was a small woman with a white coat on. Must be the doctor...

"Hello Amanda. I am your ER doctor." She leaned on the side rails of the small gurney and clasped her hands in front of her. "I have some bad news. It looks like you have leukemia."

My head turned as quickly as it could to see the look on my parent's faces, and then my husband's. Shocked silence and the beginnings of tears started in my family.

I turned back to her. "I'm sorry. What did you say?" I thought she said cancer, but that's just not possible.

"You have leukemia. We would like to do a bone marrow biopsy in a few hours while we find a room to admit you to." She said sincerely.

"Um...Ok. That seems a little serious. Is that your current suspicion about what is going on with me?" I asked, currently the only person in the room who could talk it seemed.

"Well according to your blood tests you definitely have leukemia."

"Oh. Well then... I guess that was not the answer I thought I would get when I came in this morning."

So now I have cancer. I was diagnosed in December of 2024, to my absolute astonishment. I had been feeling a little more tired, and walking or exercising had become more difficult and made me short of breath. I had had a bloody nose on and off for a week, but it was also winter, and it's pretty common that that happens to me during the drier months. I had just gotten married to my wonderful husband in October of the previous year and we were trying to start our family when this devastating news came.

I am currently receiving treatment and the outcome looks great. What doesn't look as good is the mountain of bills piling up. Even with great health insurance, the cost of cancer treatment takes a toll on everyone. Any small bit helps and I would be really grateful for anything that comes my way to help me clear these bills and continue on my journey through cancer and life.

~Thank you~Amanda Uhrich