Leslie went in for regular blood work for feeling tired, thinking it was her thyroid or low iron. Low and behold, her numbers were really, really low (Red Blood Cell count aka Hematocrit and Platelets). She saw a local Hematology-Oncologist, who told us about Aplastic Anemia and referred us to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Our lives forever changed on October 2nd, 2017 when she got the news that a Bone Marrow Transplant was the only way she would survive this disease. Her best match? Her only sibling, her older sister Kim who lives in Henderson, NV. Leslie entered the hospital October 4th, one day before her 40th birthday, and didn't see the outside world until October 24-26th, a few days before her transplant on October 31st. Chemo, bed alarms, and weeks and weeks of healing before she was able to leave the hospital to live at the SCCA house and later the Pete Gross House to be close to the SCCA for her ongoing outpatient care. Spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and almost Valentines day at the Pete Gross house with the loving care of her caretakers, only seeing her men on the weekends. 100+ days post-transplant she was able to come home to Bonney Lake, at that point she was away from her new house longer than she lived here. Months later we are still slowly progressing, but this will be a long, arduous journey, it may be 2+ years before she is back to her "new normal".
