I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in September of 1986. After attending the first three days of 8th grade, I was taken to the hospital, and my life changed forever. I was given less than a 30% chance of surviving. After four months of chemotherapy, I had a bone marrow transplant and spent 10 long weeks in a sterilized isolation room where I sat in bed all day long. I spent the rest of the spring and summer recuperating at home, and I had to stay isolated so my immune system could rebuild. When I returned to school as a freshman in the fall, I had lost a year of my life.
On June 22, 2016, my daughter Genevieve was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She had turned double-digits in May and had just finished a great fourth grade year. She was eagerly anticipating the start of summer vacation. I, too, her mom and a kindergarten teacher, was ready for school to end and to have the most epic summer vacation ever. We had planned to start our summer with a trip to Florida to play on the beach, find manatees and nosh on local delicacies. Instead, our vacay turned into a more epic adventure than ever.
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