Toni's Leukemia Fight

Toni's Story:   

We all know life changes when you are told you have Cancer! Toni's journey started in 2010 with a 10lb mass in her retroperitenel area. They originally said it was an ovarian cyst but when they removed it they found it was sarcoma. She was just 39. She went to the only Sarcoma specialist around, Dr. Elias at UCH. She also flew to Sloan Kettering for a second opinion. After 5 months two tumors then came back.

She started 4 rounds of chemo. After her first round she unexpectedly had a sister pass away. She then had another surgery in 2011 to remove those! She finally was Cancer free.

She presumed that was the hardest year of her life. With two girls 13 and 15 and being their only parent it was a rough time but it brought them all closer. She tried to live life to the fullest until another day when life changed once again.

Toni was diagnosed with an aggressive form of treatment related AML (Leukemia). Spent many (over 200) days in the hospital, two bone marrow transplants, 12 days on a ventilator, and still deals with side effects from all the chemo, radiation and transplants. All stemming from Sarcoma.

She was doing well with only going to the Bone Marrow Infusion Center every other week for side effects which was interrupted by a relapse November 13, 2020. She had begun to have a lump in her leg which was starting to be painful.  After numerous (3) surgeries and a pet scan, she was diagnosed with Extra Medullary Disease/Myeloid Sarcoma.  Essentially it is Acute Myeloid Leukemia that is outside of the bone marrow.

She just finished my first round of Azacitidine and Venetaclax of the with a five day hospital stay and continue with 4 pills everyday.  She will receive another PET scan in early January and hope not to have to do a 3rd transplant.


They will also take every prayer they can get!