My name is Terri, I am a 46-year-old single mom to a handsome, smart, kind, loving, STRONG 12-year boy whose name is Chase.  This little guy is my fight, my will, my hero!

My story actually begins about a year before I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.  In January of 2017, I had to have my hip replaced and was out of work for 6 weeks.  While I was out of work, I was on the computer a lot and a reminder kept popping up that I needed to schedule my mammogram.  I said to myself “I better go ahead and get this done before I go back to work.”  I scheduled the appointment and they took me in on Thursday.  I returned to work the following Monday and received a call that day from the radiologist saying I needed to come back for more testing.  That week, I went back for an ultra sound and biopsy and then again to meet with a nurse navigator.  After all that, I knew something was wrong.  My husband and I went in at the end of that week and they informed me I had Stage 2B breast cancer.  The first thing that came out of my mouth was “what about my baby, I need to be here for my baby”.  The nurse navigator assured me that I would beat this and would be around for my son for a long time.  The news was still devastating.  How was I going to tell my son?  Would I get sick?  I was going to lose my hair, what about my job?  I watched my husband’s mother die in his arms from cancer a few years before and cancer was my biggest fear.

I was referred to Dr. Brownlee, who is the most caring loving doctor I have ever met.  The ball started rolling quickly and before I knew it I was starting chemo.  The first day I started chemo, my husband and I walked in the door and I just lost it.  I had never had an anxiety attack before, but I had one in that moment and it was terrifying.  I just could not believe I was there getting treated for cancer.   

After chemo, I had a lumpectomy followed by 33 treatments of radiation.  I worked through all of my treatments and my bosses did everything they could to help me.  By the middle of December last year, I was cancer free. I was beyond ecstatic.  My hair was growing back, I felt good and I thought I was done.  2018 was going to be my year!

Well I could not have been more wrong about that.  First in January, my husband moved out, so I was now a single mom.  Then one night in early February, I went to change my clothes and noticed my left leg was covered in huge bruises.  I was shocked.  I had never seen anything like that before in my life.  But I felt fine.  I went to the emergency room in Matthews right away.  After that, I do not remember the next 5 weeks of my life.  I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an extremely rare side effect of breast cancer treatment.  I believe the doctors were shocked as well.  Typically, if someone does get leukemia its usually not for several years after.  I was a rare case.  I was immediately transferred to Novant downtown where the brilliant Dr. Fason took me on as his patient.

I only know now what the doctors have told me and what my friends and family have told me.  I was very, very sick.  I was so sick that my friends and family from New York came to see me thinking it would be the last time they would get to see me.  Everything that could have gone wrong, went wrong.  I had DIC which is a condition in which the affected person’s blood has difficulty in clotting, thus leading to excess of bleeding. Sometimes it can cause organ failure or even death if not attended to immediately.  I also had colitis, pneumonia and heart failure.  

I was so sick one day that I do remember praying to God to just take me.  Then I looked up and saw a picture of my son, Chase.  I said to myself, what I am doing? I can’t go anywhere.  I must be here for him. That was actually the only time I prayed.  I was so angry at the Lord that I could not talk to him.  I have no doubt that my will as a mother and the help of Dr. Fason and his assistant Jenny Parks, saved my life.  Dr. Fason has told me several times that I am lucky to be here. 

After the 5 weeks, it was time for me to go home.  I was afraid to go home.  I felt safe in the hospital with Dr. Fason watching over me.  But I also knew I had a little boy that needed me and missed his mommy.   My poor little boy had to watch his mommy go through this not just once but twice.  The first few days were rough.  I cried, and cried and asked why me?  I was so angry with God. Then after talking with friends and family, I finally realized that I had to get up and fight for my life and put all my worries into God’s hands and trust that He is going to make it right. We simply don’t know how many days we will have.  So, I have chosen to live each day as may be my last.

Dr. Fason informed me that I had to have a bone marrow transplant for long term survival.  I then had to make the decision about having my transplant at Duke University or Levine Cancer Center in Charlotte.  I made the decision based on not wanting to disrupt my son’s life anymore and chose Levine.  I was then given another brilliant, sweet, kind, doctor, Dr. Ragon who did everything she could to save my life.  When I first met her, she said that she would have to present my case to the board because they usually wouldn’t give transplants to people who just finished treatment from another cancer.  She promised she would fight for me and she did.  I got approved for the transplant!

We immediately started the donor process and my brother was only a 50% match.  We then went to the donor registry and found a young man from Europe who was a 100% match.  A 100% match – I couldn’t believe it!  My brother was only 50% and this stranger was 100%.  He didn’t know me and was willing to do what he could to help save my life!

Then the testing began.  The EKG’s, the MRI’s, the CT scans.  I was at the hospital just about every day.  After one of the tests, the doctors discovered I had a fungus in my lungs, so my transplant was postponed.  My heart sunk; I was devastated.  I was so worried that my donor would not miss more time from his life to save mine.  Since it was postponed for another month, I had to have more chemo to bridge me over until my new transplant date.  I also had to have several blood transfusions and platelet transfusions.  I finally had my transplant on June 19th.  

Statistics say I still only have a 50% chance of being here in 5 years, but I will be that 50%.  I still have 2 more years to go but I’ve got this.  I have an amazing group of doctors who are all working together and are fighting for me, I have a mother’s will, and faith in the Lord that I will be cured.  My doner also had so much bone marrow to give that my doctor has stored it in case.  But there will be no “in case”.

After 2 years, I finally got to make contact with my donor Michael who is from Germany.  I am so grateful that he wanted to meet me as well.  We are building our relationship with our families and I cannot wait to meet him, his wife Elke and their 3 kids.  We will meet and we will meet soon!  I literally owe him my life. 

Leukemia can take it all from you. Especially your soul.  I keep asking “why me God”?  Maybe this is why.  To raise awareness and to encourage everyone to please register on Be the Match.  Donate blood.  Donate platelets.  And please support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as they advocate for lifesaving treatments.  You can save someone’s life.  Someone like me.  A young mother who wants nothing more in life than to be here for her son.