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Marissa’s Story

Site created on November 12, 2020

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.

I apologize as the majority of you are going to find out what has been going with me this way instead of via a personal phone call or text. However, this is the fastest and best way to let people know what has been going on in the Aldeen household in the past 10 days while at the same time preserving my energy.

So, as most of you know, I turned the big 4-0 this summer. With that tends to come some hormone changes. Starting in September my menstrual cycle was quite a bit heavier in the beginning of the cycle. The same thing occurred during my menstrual cycle the beginning of October. I was scheduled for my yearly physical with my provider on Thursday, October 29th. I had mentioned my heavier cycles to her and we had discussed some different options. She then ordered some routine lab work for me to have drawn on my next day off from work, which was scheduled for Friday, November 6th.

Well, on Saturday, October 31st my menstrual cycle started again (about 8 days early) and was EXTREMELY heavy. It was much heavier than the previous 2 cycles. For the next few days and nights I was unable to make it more than 2 hours without out having to change feminine products. I also noticed that I was starting to not feel very good and was becoming more short of breath. It was now becoming more of an effort to climb a flight of stairs at our house (I know I am out of shape but not typically that bad). Jason and I had talked about the fact that something was not right so that Monday I had emailed my provider and let her know about the excessive bleeding and also to mention some odd bruises that Jason and I had noticed over the past 2 weeks, which seemed insignificant at the time. My provider added on some more labs for me for when I was able to come in to have them drawn. After some discussion, Jason and I decided that I should not wait until Friday to have them drawn as there was something going on that was just not right.

I had decided I was going to go in and have my labs drawn before work on Wednesday, November 4th and then head to work for the day. I had been at work for about 2 hours when my provider's office called and told me that my labs were basically in the toilet. My hemoglobin was 5.7 (normal is 12.1-15.1), my platelets, that help clot blood, were 14 (normal I believe is 150-400) and my white blood cell count was 0.1 (normal is around 4.5-11). They instructed me to present to the Emergency Room right away for admission to the hospital so they can figure out what was going on. This is where the whirlwind started and hasn't really stopped.

I called Jason and asked him to meet me at the Essentia ER because my labs were way off and that I was going to be admitted. I figured I would have a hysterectomy and then after some healing, I would be good as new. Well, unfortunately things weren't that simple. From the minute I walked into Essentia I had a fantastic team of doctors and nurses working on me and there was no time wasted. They ran some tests and discovered that it was not a female problem causing the bleeding. After doing some more labs and a smear of my blood cells they realized that some of my cells didn't look right. It was then my team of doctors consulted with a Hematologist. Based on the appearance of my cells, it was then decided that I needed to be transferred to a different facility better equipped to handle my situation. I was then transferred to Sanford Health downtown, which is where my journey has continued.

Newest Update

Journal entry by Marissa Aldeen — Jul 27, 2023

Hello! I can't believe how quickly this summer is flying by. I hope everyone is enjoying it and has been soaking up the sun!

Our summer started out with a trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We biked around Mackinac Island and spent some time hiking in Munising and Marquette.

Simon's been busy with athletic development and basketball camps and Harper is on her third theatre camp through FMCT. They have been enjoying summer as well.

I had 3 month labs drawn and saw Dr. Zahr on July 13th. Everything looked perfect. I was incredibly relieved and so happy. I still hold my breath with each lab draw and always breathe easier once the results are back. I have now been bumped to 6 month lab drawn and can choose to see my doctor depending on my results.

So, here's where my huge prayer request comes in. My oncologist, Dr. Zahr, just found out his sarcoma has returned and the prognosis is not good. He and his wife are expecting their first child and their goal is for them to be in the delivery room together. Please keep Dr. Zahr, his wife and their little girl, they tried so hard to have, in your prayers. I will attempt to post a link to the news story about them as well as a link to their GoFundMe page. My heart is broken for them. I owe him so much. It was his knowledge and calm that helped get me through one of the toughest times of my life. He helped me have a second chance at life.

I hope you all are doing well and enjoy the rest of your summer! As always, thank you for your continued love and support. You are all so appreciated and loved!!

With so much love and gratitude,
Marissa

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-ericksonabou-zahrs

https://gofund.me/567093a1

Read More of the journal titled "Quick update and an ask for prayers"

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