16

On October 24, 2000, life took an unexpected turn. From seemingly perfect health, I found myself in a desperate search for survival. Little did I know that this illness would take me on a journey that most could not believe or fathom. Over the course of years, I've become a participant in numerous clinical trials. It is a journey where life and death hang in the balance of medical experiments called clinical trials.My journey started in the emergency room in Anchorage, Alaska. An unexpected diagnosis of leukemia changed everything. I was specifically diagnosed with AML inv. 16 (acute myeloid leukemia inversion 16). I was transported to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, renowned for its expertise. The protocol for treatment was sixteen months of intense chemotherapy. I started my induction chemotherapy a week later and was released from the hospital, only to find everything that I owned in trash bags on the side of the road. I was diagnosed, divorced, and homeless in the same week, after sixteen years of marriage. Remarkably, within just sixteen days, I achieved complete remission - no signs of disease, yet the full treatment regime remained essential.I relapsed the following year. My only hope was a bone marrow transplant; without it, I was given six months to one year left to live. With no siblings, I was gifted with a MUD transplant. After sixteen days in total isolation, I engrafted with my new DNA. I embarked on a journey where science and resilience intertwined.I have decided to tell my story; my very essence has become a testament to life's tenacity. Sixteen has become a number in my life that I have chosen to embrace. Years have passed. I am now remarried, happy, and have traveled across the globe. I am here to say that life is an enjoyable journey!