My Story

Being diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia made me really wonder where it came from, why me. I worked so hard to keep myself fit and strong. The ripple affects of living with an illness left me to spiral ultimately to receive a stem cell transplant…I had no choice.Years ago, finding a perfect match in the world bank was almost non-existent but today there is better hope. My story goes back to 2005 where a weakness came about me and found myself at a hospital emergency ward, fever, paleness and with a severe anemia that left me to receive blood and platelet transfusions almost daily. I was transferred to the good people at Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital in Montreal, Canada where I was left under the care of a dream team of doctors who specialized in this field. It was then when I was first diagnosed with aplastic anemia. Being in denial, I chose to opt out of a bone marrow transplant in thinking my immune system would repair itself eventually, I was wrong. Over the course of 9 years and a few relapses from an immune suppressant drug therapy my aplastic anemia progressed into a myelodysplastic syndrome diagnosis, I had no choice but to undergo a transplant.None of my family members had a compatible match so it was left up to the rest of the world to save me. They found one!!! A perfect match, an amazing man from the Salt Lake City, USA – Joseph Hackett. No words to say when someone gives you life again but thank you my blood brother. You helped me to spiral back up again.