A Year in Review – Anniversary

About a year ago, I remember sitting by the bus stop waiting for the service line from the Santa Monica Big Blue Bus and its returning route to UCLA. Those were the longest 28 minutes of my life as I contemplated what I had just heard from a rheumatologist:

“I suspect that you have a significant blood disorder problem, Ms. Liang, but we don’t have enough information to conclude what it is exactly. There’s a very small chance that it can be as life-threatening as leukemia. Here’s the number to one of the best hematologists within UCLA Medical Group. I’m going to give you an immediate referral; call him as soon as possible.”

Fast forward a year now and here I am – completely stunned that it’s already the one year anniversary of my diagnosis on August 24th. What amazes me the most is that I’m still alive and relatively well. Sometimes, I actually have to pinch my own arm just as a small reminder on how grateful I am to have gotten past what may be the largest ordeal of my young life.

A snapshot of yours truly during a long hospital stay

OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

When I started HelpingJanet.com last year, I had no idea that I’d be on my way to managing a pseudo/unofficial non-profit organization. Thanks to the network of family and friends who advocated on my behalf and other patients, I am incredibly proud to announce that we’ve reached 5,232 donors! I still remain true to my word and would like to reiterate that I will not stop until we reach 15,000 donors. With that said, I’d like to thank James for renewing the website’s subscription for another year and his diligence in making sure that everything runs smoothly as our outstanding webmaster.

On that note, a dear college friend of mine from UCLA  just told me about a week ago that she may possibly be a marrow donor match for a patient in need! You can’t even imagine how ecstatic I was to hear this news. I wish her the best of luck as she begins the noble process of saving someone else’s life on her own voluntary accord.

The good news doesn’t end there… and hopefully you won’t mind as I continue to spout off the list of achievements from an amazing community that responded to my plea for help:

* Pahole, winner of the Mr. Hyphen pageant, has tirelessly advocated for leukemia patients and generously donated $500 to the Asian American Donor Program on behalf of HelpingJanet.com

* Spike for the Cause, a Reverse Coed 4s Grass Volleyball Tournament held in San Diego, managed to raise well over $500 for HelpingJanet.com

* Last spring, a high school friend of mine (who is now a full-fledged teacher) raised $2,500 to find a cure for blood cancers by running a marathon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

* Last June, a college friend of mine from UCLA accepted a position as a community outreach coordinator for Asians for Miracle Matches.

I haven’t even begun to tell you the countless number of family and friends who went on radio, television, and print to spread awareness about this particular illness. And as you can easily guess, I am pretty overwhelmed by the outpour of community support that still continues to remain strong today. As a result, I am hoping that reaching 15,000 donors will be accomplished within the next year as I work with A3M, AADP, and Cammy Lee Leukemia on their upcoming college campaigns where we will encourage young adults from college campuses nationwide to join the National Marrow Donor Program. I’m thrilled, excited, and can’t wait to contribute as much as I can to this movement.

HEALTH UPDATE

As for my health, I am still hanging in there with the results of my latest CT scan. I consider myself a lucky woman when the results showed no evidence of “the scary stuff” such as lesions or tumors of any sort. They did reveal that I have a slightly enlarged liver potentially caused by the oral chemotherapy pills I have been taking consistently which we have now stopped temporarily to see if it will mitigate the problem. Unfortunately, some fluid has developed in the lining of my lungs (called the “plural space”) and it has been causing me to experience long, uncontrollable coughing fits. My only source of relief is a liquid bottle of promethazine/codeine that has been prescribed to not only suppress the coughs but to also help me sleep better at night. I have to admit though that it’s kind of frustrating (whether through hospital bureaucracy or plain lack of attention) that I need to wait until early September to see liver specialists who will be able to provide more insight to this issue. Forgive me for my confusion and rant, but this seems to be quite a serious problem and I am very disappointed at my hospital institution for not recognizing it as a priority issue that needs to be resolved as quickly as possible. Consequently, I don’t have much to report here except that I am waiting patiently to see the liver specialists soon. In the mean time, my health care team hopes that by remaining off the chemotherapy pills for now, the complication may actually self-resolve on its own. I hope so too!

COUPON FOR GAP, BANANA REPUBLIC, AND OLD NAVY SHOPPERS

Gap promotion for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Finally, if you are an avid shopper who is on the lookout for fall/winter clothes or you simply want to get a head start on your back-to-school shopping, please take advantage of this Give & Get coupon (please click link). You can enjoy 30% off your purchases from any GAP, Banana Republic, or Old Navy store and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will benefit from 5% of what you spend! Be sure to use the coupon between this Thursday, August 26 to Sunday, August 29 since it’s only good for 4 days.

Thanks for celebrating my one year anniversary with me. Here’s to many more anniversaries to come!