Stories of Hope
The day you were diagnosed, you became a survivor. The day your loved one is diagnosed, you become a survivor too. These stories provide hope and inspiration, role models and real life experiences for other patients and families. Whether you are a patient, family member or friend, these poignant stories are filled with anecdotes that you'll find helpful as you learn more about your or your loved one's disease. Each story provides insight and motivation for bravery and optimism as you and your loved ones celebrate being a survivor!
You'll also find stories of volunteers who are spreading awareness and raising funds for AA&MDSIF. Many are patients, family members and friends who have been touched in some way by a bone marrow failure disease.
Would you like to share your story? Email us at mystory@aamds.org or call Mike Breuer at (301) 279-7202 x111 and he'll be glad to give you more information.
Visit this page regularly for new stories, many featured in our monthly eInsider, that will touch your heart, give you comfort, and deepen your determination to fight these diseases.
Building Birdhouses Lifts Spirits and
Shows Appreciation for Professional Caregivers
By Dale Erickson
I was born in 1927 and raised on a farm near
Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where snow is your companion from November through
March. Sunshine and beautiful weather prevail the rest of...
Warning Signs
In September 1989, our son Bill was 15 when we started getting warning signals something wasn’t right with his health. At a routine checkup, our dentist commented his immune system must be low because of some mouth sores Bill had. Next, one of his high school...
The “Big Cheese” is the winner of the macaroni and cheese
bake-off event, “sMAC Down”, organized by AA&MDSIF volunteer Kim Fernandes-Huff. And Kim doesn’t just organize one yearly
event for AA&MDSIF in support of the Michael Fernandes Research Fund, she
does three yearly...
Written by Kimberly Malmstrom
Our son, Kyle, was a normal active 11-year-old
who enjoyed climbing trees, swimming, and running. He loved to run around
and play with his friends. The first week of school last fall was normal
for Kyle. He was excited to see friends and...
I
was diagnosed with MDS (RAEB-2 - Refractory Anemia with Excess Blasts) in January
2010 at the age of 56. This came after routine blood work and a subsequent bone
marrow biopsy revealed dangerously low blood counts and cellular abnormalities.
What a terrible shock for both my...
Her
husband, Michael, was a GRAMMY-award winning tenor jazz sax player who counted
Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny among his peers. His complaint of a
backache while on the road performing turned into a diagnosis of
myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) – a disease he had never heard...
Aplastic Anemia Survivor Wants to Help Heal Others
Written by Kenzie Schneider
High
school and youth were in my rear view mirror as I drove off to college in the
fall of 2009 to evolve and fulfill my dreams. Not even a week had passed when
the symptoms of a life-threatening...
I was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in 2007. It was
a very scary time for me and my family. The first thing that was really
noticeable to me was how little was known about my disease. And, finding out
about the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation was a Godsend...
My 9 year old son, Kai, from
Seal Beach, was enjoying life to the fullest until he was diagnosed in November,
2010 with idiopathic aplastic anemia. I volunteer
for the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation for the Los Angeles
Hope, Steps & A Cure 5K Run/...
This is my third year of involvement with the LA Hope,
Steps & A Cure Walk. My commitment to Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation (AA&MDSIF) started when my Mom, Mary
Lou Palacio, was first diagnosed with MDS
in 1999 and grew after my Dad, Manual Palacio,...
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