David Hendrix from Amarillo, TX is a leukemia survivor who will be accepting a proclamation from the city declaring September Blood Cancer Awareness Month. Read below as he describes his story and you will understand why the North Texas Chapter thinks he is such a great representative of our organization and incredible survivors.
"In August 2012, I was diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia.
They say that’s the one to get if you HAVE to get a blood cancer. 'They' must
be someone that has never been told, 'You have leukemia.' I was crushed and scared and not
sure what to do.
I went through treatment in September of 2012 , which involved a 9 day stay in UTMB Medical Center in Galveston. I was on an around the clock IV infusion of Cladribin. It was a relatively benign process but I felt really bad. My white blood cell count was 0 by about day 5 and I could not have any visitors because of fear of infection. I was in the hospital one other time because of some complications with my PIC line but thanks to the support of my beautiful wife, Tiffany, and an amazing group of doctors and nurses, I was declared in remission in December of that year. I still do check-ups every six months and probably will for the long term but I am healthier than I have ever been.
I went through treatment in September of 2012 , which involved a 9 day stay in UTMB Medical Center in Galveston. I was on an around the clock IV infusion of Cladribin. It was a relatively benign process but I felt really bad. My white blood cell count was 0 by about day 5 and I could not have any visitors because of fear of infection. I was in the hospital one other time because of some complications with my PIC line but thanks to the support of my beautiful wife, Tiffany, and an amazing group of doctors and nurses, I was declared in remission in December of that year. I still do check-ups every six months and probably will for the long term but I am healthier than I have ever been.
I started running on the one
year anniversary of my treatment and fell in love with running. I have
lost about 85 pounds and feel fantastic. I will run my first marathon on
October 5th in Tyler and when I found out about TNT running the
Metro PCS Dallas marathon, I knew that I had to be involved.
I know the statistics about
blood cancers and I know that I’m one of the lucky ones. I also know how
those that are being treated feel during their treatment. I felt horrible
and I had a relatively easy treatment. I remember wondering how things
could ever go back to the way they were. It was a hopeless, helpless
feeling. If by being involved in the LLS TNT I can help others that are
facing those same challenges – both mental and physical – I’m all in. I
love the mission of the LLS – to help blood cancer patients live better, longer
lives. I want to be a big part of that. If I can help in any way,
please let me know."
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