It had been a long year battling Breast Cancer, all the doctor appointments, chemotherapy and then the radiation therapy, Grannie was exhausted. She just wanted to sleep all day, she was worn out. The family was told that she would bounce back after a month or so, the radiation therapy would wear off, then she would be back to herself in no time, but that never happened. She had told us that she was going to the doctor that afternoon; he had called to ask her to come in. That is never a good thing. My aunt called and said that Grannie wanted a family meeting at seven that night, when my husband asked what was going on she just said “she just wants us all together so she can talk to us all at the same time. She doesn’t want to have to make a bunch of phone calls.” It was then, everyone knew it was not going to be good, but our first thought was the breast cancer had returned. Who would have ever imagined what she was about to tell us. The family was sitting in the living room and was in total shock when she explained that the doctors told her she had leukemia. They did not know when she contracted it; there was no way of knowing how long she had it. She said they told her that she would need extensive chemotherapy and radiation treatments to battle the leukemia, but there were no guarantees that she could beat it. She sat there with tears running down her face when she said, “I am just too tired. I cannot fight this battle, I’m too weak. I’m sorry and I love you all, please know that, but I am not going to go through with the treatments.” My heart broke at that moment. She was admitted into the hospital six days later, and she was with us only three days before she was gone. Nine days was all the family got to spend with her, the leukemia took her so fast. My hero, my role model and my best friend was gone. Everybody prays that no one else in the family will have to go through this heartache again. Our family is still so confused; there are so many unanswered questions that we will never have the answers to. How is it diagnosed? What are the symptoms? Could it have been treated and cured? Are there support groups available for patients and their families? Exactly what does someone need to be aware of, in case another family member starts to display signs of this disease? Our family does not want to become a victim to leukemia ever again.
Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is diagnosed usually after routine blood work is ordered from the patient’s doctor’s office. If they are experiencing symptoms that imply leukemia, their doctor may ask that they have one of the following tests, physical exam, blood tests, or a biopsy, to rule out leukemia.
According to MedicineNet.com: During the exam, the doctor will check to see if the lymph nodes are swollen and will look for pain in the abdomen from swelling in the spleen or liver. Blood will need to be drawn to check the number of white and red blood cells and platelets. Leukemia causes a very high level of white blood cells, and can also cause low platelet levels, which are found in red blood cells. Having a biopsy done is the best way to know if there are any leukemia cells in the bone marrow (Leukemia, 2013).
The hipbone and other large bones are the perfect place for bone marrow to be drawn from when looking for leukemia cells.
Like all blood cells, leukemia cells travel throughout the whole body. If a person has symptoms, it depends on where their leukemia cells are and where they collect in the body. The signs and symptoms are likely to develop slowly and can include: tiring more easily, shortness of breath doing daily activities, pale colored skin, night sweats, swollen lymph nodes (especially in the neck or armpit), frequent infections, bleeding and bruising easily (bleeding gums, purplish patches in the skin or tiny red spots under the skin), weight loss for no apparent reason, and an ability to tolerate warm temperatures. If the brain is affected a person may have headaches, vomiting, confusion, loss of muscle control, or seizures (Leukemia, 2013).
Leukemia can also affect other parts of the body like the kidneys, lungs, heart, digestive tract and the testes (National Cancer Institute, 2008). Most often, one cannot tell the difference between diseases, since they are similar to others. Often times, these symptoms are not because of cancer, but only after testing done by a specialist, are you able to be 100 percent positive it is not cancer. Anyone with these types of symptoms should tell a doctor as soon as possible so the problems can be diagnosed and treated early.
A patient with CML needs to start treatment right away. The types of treatment that can be started on a patient are watchful waiting, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, biological therapy, radiation therapy and stem cell transplant (Leukemia, 2013). Sometimes doctors will use a combination of these therapies to try to beat the cancer. They will start by giving the patient a drug that blocks the BCR-ABL cancer gene. This drug stops the cancer from getting worse, but it does not cure it. A bone marrow transplant is the only treatment that will guarantee a chance that the leukemia will be cured. The younger the patient is, the better the odds are that the transplant will be successful. The type of treatment used will depend on the patients’ age and their state of health. In order for the patient to get the best care possible, they should go to a cancer center where all the doctors have experience and are trained with treating leukemia patients and their specific types. As stated on MedicineNet.com (2013), “Doctors that treat leukemia include hematologists, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists; pediatric oncologists and hematologists treat childhood leukemia” (p. 6). When there is treatment for CML it can often control the disease and its symptoms. Many people can receive maintenance therapy to help the cancer stay in remission, although CML can seldom be cured with chemotherapy alone (Leukemia, 2013).
Often times having a disease like leukemia can lead to other problems such as financial issues, side effects, and mental problems trying to deal with the issues; this is where support services can be of an immense help. “Supportive care is treatment to prevent or fight infections, to control pain or other symptoms, to relieve the side effects of therapy, and to help you cope with the feelings that a diagnosis of cancer can bring” (Medicinenet.com, 2013, p.7). Sometimes patients just need someone to talk to, someone that understands what they are going through. It is nice knowing that they are not the only ones dealing with these life threatening events. Families also need help learning how to cope with these events. It is not always easy to know what to say to the family member with leukemia, especially when they are young children with a thousand questions and you have no answers. There are many online support groups, phone call centers and even local support groups that you can contact at almost any time of the day or night. 1-800-4-CANCER or http://www.cancer.gov/help are both part of the National Cancer Institute’s help lines and are available 24/7 and are also available in Spanish and for the hearing impaired (Leukemia, 2013). They truly are there for anyone, anytime.
In summary, anytime that someone displays signs not normal to their everyday demeanor, they should go to their family doctor to be examined. There may not be anything seriously wrong with them, but it is always better to be safe, then sorry, especially if they have not been feeling well or are recovering from another illness. Having a loved one diagnosed with something like leukemia, is a serious condition that can be very devastating to that person and their family. Recognizing the symptoms and what the treatment is can be helpful to the patient. It is comforting to them knowing they are not alone. They need support through these difficult times. Not just from their friends and family, but it is nice understanding that there are other people going through this also. It is nice realizing they are not the only one in the world fighting this disease. The world can only hope that over time, researchers will find a cure that will save the lives of those battling leukemia. While there are some lucky enough to come home, there are so many others lost too soon in life. It’s just not fair.

References
Leukemia. (2013, January). Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/leukemia/page5.htm#symptoms
Leukemia. (2013, January). Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/leukemia/page6.htm
MedicineNet.com. (2013, January). Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/leukemia/page7.htm#second_opinion
Leukemia. (2013, January). Retrieved from http://www.medicinenet.com/leukemia/page9.htm
National Cancer Institute. (2008, November). What you need to know about Leukemia. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/leukemia/page5