Mónika
Hi my name is Mónika, I am 32 years old and in November 2010, I was diagnosed with philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. I have a plan: to confound the statistics. These statistics say that my type of leukaemia is more common in children than in adults, more common in boys than girls and on top of that I have the Philadelphia chromosome-positive which is more characteristic of myeloid leukaemia than lymphoblastic leukaemia. Yes, I have a shot...
I have other plans: live and laugh. Priorities change when you face a disease like this one and you learn to value the smaller things in life. I like to go to Macdonald's with my nephew; to take a walk; to talk to people; to talk to people I love and who love me; to travel; to eat with my friends and family; to sleep in my bed; to laugh; to knit...and lots more. I want to go back and see my family and friends in Argentina, I want to go back to Bruges, I want to celebrate my tenth wedding anniversary with my husband, I want to be normal again, and I want to laugh a lot. I like to laugh until I cry, that is the best medicine.
Due to the philadelphia chromosome I have to have a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately no compatible adult donor has been found and as time counts, I am to undergo an umbilical cord transplant. For this reason I want to thank everyone who is a donor of bone marrow, umbilical cord, blood, platelets, or organs... It is of great importance and really easy to become a donor and it saves lives. Thanks to all the donors, your donations allow us to live.
I also want to thank the doctors, the nurses, and all the team at the Sant Pau Hospital, especially my doctor, Dr. Granell who put me at ease. I want to thank all the researchers, and all those who develop the technology to multiply umbilical cord cells. I would like to thank the José Carreras Foundation for being so close and take charge fo the search for a bone marrow donor. Thank you to all the people who I have met on the internet, who have made my journey a little less lonely, and of course, thank you to my husband and my family for putting up with bad moments and making me laugh.
CARPE DIEM
My blog: http://leucemialinfoblasticaaguda.blogspot.com/
Help people like Mónika by becoming a member of the cure for leukaemia and haematological malignacies, HERE. You will help us to continue our research so that one day these diseases will be 100% curable. With only a little you can do so much. Thank you!
Find out more about bone marrow donation, HERE
