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My
world was turned upside down in the Fall of 1987. I went from working full-time at St. Paul’s Hospital, to
being a patient there in the course of one day.
I had gone to work that day a little frustrated because I’d
had a difficult time eating my breakfast that morning. I had what I thought were cold sores on my tongue, which made
it very difficult to chew my food.
I also had noticed what I thought was a rash on my lower
legs. I was quite tired
and had developed some large bruises on my body that I couldn’t
account for. Soon after I got to work, I went to visit the Employee Health
Nurse. She looked at
the sores on my tongue, “rash” on my legs and bruises, and told
me that I had something systemic and something topical.
She said that I should go to see my family doctor as soon as
my doctor’s office opened, and ask to be seen as soon as she
could.
My
family doctor’s office was just across the street from St.
Paul’s Hospital, so I walked over there, told the receptionist
that I had been sent by the Employee Health Nurse, and had a seat in
the waiting room. I only had to wait about half an hour before my doctor was
able to see me. She
took one look at the sores on my tongue, “rash” on my legs and
bruises, asked me some questions, and ordered a blood test for me.
She said that I could go back to work after the blood test,
and she would call me once she had the results.
I worked for about an hour or two until she called me.
She said that all my blood counts were low, that I should
stop working, and wait for a call from a haematologist.
Not too much later the haematologist called me, and said that
she wanted me to go to the emergency department, because she wanted
to admit me to hospital. So
I thought I had better call my parents to let them know what was
happening. My Dad
answered the phone, and in telling him what was happening, I started
to cry. I didn’t
really understand why I was being admitted to hospital, and the
shock of it all hit me as I was explaining it to my Dad.
After
the phone call, I headed to the emergency department, where I sat
waiting for what would happen next, whatever that might be.
Eventually a nurse came and had me exchange my clothes for a
hospital gown, then had me lay down on a stretcher.
I waited there until an intern came and took my medical
history. Later on the
haematologist came to talk to me. It didn’t take too long until I was transferred to a
medical ward. There I
received two units of red blood cells.
The haematologist came to visit me on the ward, and said that
I would be having a bone marrow biopsy the next day.
She also explained that the “cold sores” on my tongue
were actually hematomas or blood blisters, and the “rash” on my
legs was something called petechiae, which occurs when small
superficial capillaries burst.
That
next day I had the bone marrow biopsy, and later on that day the
haematologist came to tell me that I had been diagnosed with a very
rare blood disorder called Aplastic Anemia.
The cause of this blood disorder is often unknown, as it was
in my case. Aplastic
Anemia occurs when your bone marrow stops producing all three blood
cell types. These
include your red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
When your red cells are low, so it your energy level; when
your white cells are low, you are more prone to infections; and when
your platelets are low, you bruise easily and may have spontaneous
bleeding.
The
haematologist said that they would see if my sister, who is my only
sibling, would be compatible as a bone marrow donor.
They would do a bone marrow transplant if she was compatible.
It turned out that she wasn't a compatible bone marrow donor,
and at that time there wasn't an Unrelated Bone Marrow Registry, so
a bone marrow transplant wasn't an option any longer.
They next tried various drug therapies to stimulate my bone
marrow into working again. After
my first two nights in the hospital in a 4-bed room, I was
transferred to a private room with reverse isolation precautions.
Everyone had to wash their hands before they entered my room,
and the room had a special filter that kept out all micro-organisms,
so that I wouldn't develop any infections due to my low white cells.
During
my two month stay in hospital, I received two different intravenous
drug therapies. Neither
or these worked, and each had very unpleasant side effects.
Throughout my stay in hospital, and for another seven months
afterwards, I required both red cell and platelet transfusions to
sustain my life. I
received these transfusions weekly and sometimes twice a week.
After my discharge from the hospital, I was started on an
experimental oral medication. I
spent two months convalescing at my parents' home, and then returned
to work on a part-time basis. I
resumed working full-time after another two months, and have
continued to do so. The
oral medication eventually started my bone marrow working again.
I
am currently working as a Pharmacy Technician at Lions Gate
Hospital. One of the
primary reasons that I joined the Speakers' Bureau, was to have the
opportunity to thank people like yourselves who donate blood. I will never know the blood donors who donated blood for me,
but want to tell the blood donors that I do meet, how much their
selfless contribution of themselves means to me.
I wouldn't be here today, if it weren't for the people who
took the time to donate blood.
I am sincerely grateful to those who gave of themselves, so
that I could live.
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