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Stories of Hope

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To better understand the impact of bone marrow failure, we present stories told by the patients, parents, family members, and spouses who are living with these illnesses. Our entire community benefits from the insightful stories patients and family members share with us about their personal journeys.

Kyle Malmstron

Kyle Malmstrom – Saved by Identical Twin, Young Aplastic Anemia Survivor Literally Brings Comfort to Others

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 meet his new sixth grade teachers. However, throughout that week, he developed large bruises. Some had known causes - others did not.   Kyle then noticed purple dots (petechiae) on his legs.  By Saturday of Labor Day...

Luke Gane

Luke Gane, Aplastic Anemia Survivor and UCLA Bruin

At the time, Luke Gane considered himself a typical sophomore.  It was July 2008, and Luke was getting ready for the all-important junior year of high school football season. He had his wisdom teeth removed and afterwards, found himself spitting up blood.  It was chalked up to a side-effect of the surgery.  Little did Luke know, his health was in jeopardy.  In the days ahead, Luke became fatigued; shortly thereafter, a 2-hour nose bleed turned into a trip to the emergency room.  After a...

Mary Upton

Mary Upton, Aplastic Anemia Survivor, Springfield Virginia

After a couple of weeks of constant nose bleeds and mouth ulcers, three doctor visits and a bone marrow biopsy that showed hardly any cells, I was finally diagnosed with Sudden Severe Aplastic Anemia in November 1997 at the age of 45.  NIH would not accept me as a patient and it was through the perseverance of Dr. Robert Brodsky, that Johns Hopkins accepted me, knowing that I was a full-time student with a maximum on my insurance policy that wouldn’t begin to cover all my medical expenses. I...