16

<p>On October 24 2000 life took an unexpected turn. From seemingly perfect health I found myself in a desperate search for survival. Little did I know that this illness would take me on a journey that most could not believe or fathom. Over the course of years I've become a participant in numerous clinical trials. It is a journey where life and death hang in the balance of medical experiments called clinical trials.</p><p></p><p>My journey started in the emergency room in Anchorage Alaska. An unexpected diagnosis of leukemia changed everything. I was specifically diagnosed with AML inv. 16 (acute myeloid leukemia inversion 16). I was transported to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center renowned for its expertise. The protocol for treatment was sixteen months of intense chemotherapy. I started my induction chemotherapy a week later and was released from the hospital only to find everything that I owned in trash bags on the side of the road. I was diagnosed divorced and homeless in the same week after sixteen years of marriage. Remarkably within just sixteen days I achieved complete remission - no signs of disease yet the full treatment regime remained essential.</p><p></p><p>I relapsed the following year. My only hope was a bone marrow transplant; without it I was given six months to one year left to live. With no siblings I was gifted with a MUD transplant. After sixteen days in total isolation I engrafted with my new DNA. I embarked on a journey where science and resilience intertwined.</p><p></p><p>I have decided to tell my story; my very essence has become a testament to life's tenacity. Sixteen has become a number in my life that I have chosen to embrace. Years have passed. I am now remarried happy and have traveled across the globe. I am here to say that life is an enjoyable journey!</p>