One would think that a person diagnosed with an incurable cancer would remember at least the year in which that diagnosis arrived, but dates have a way of eluding me. I think it was 2005. Regardless, it was quite a long time ago. When I discovered I had chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), I was terrified. The average life expectancy at that time was 5 years without a successful bone marrow transplant. Lucky for me, a new drug called Gleevec had just been approved by the FDA for patients with CML. This drug has enabled many CML patients, including me, to live with cancer rather than die of it. Still, living with chronic cancer presents many challenges. One of these is the threat of relapse, and relapse is the challenge I am facing today. This blog is my attempt to educate others about CML, an outreach for support, and a coping mechanism for me as I face this latest struggle with the disease.
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