Zac is a member of the Leukemia Research Foundation’s Patient Advisory Committee, and he shares his story below in his own words.

In 2019, at 32, several symptoms culminated and, in hindsight, were red flags to the disease progression of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I was less than 90 days into a new job in residential construction and did not pay attention to what my body was telling me (extreme fatigue, excessively bleeding gums after a dental exam, bruising, and petechiae on my chest and upper extremities). After a busy weeknight trip to the grocery store, my body made me stop to pay attention with a 103.2-degree fever.

With that, I drove myself to the local emergency room. A complete blood count painted a perplexing situation: my body was overproducing white blood cells and had a near zero platelet count. A swift admittance into the hospital turned into a thirty-five-day stay. The morning after, the news was slowly filtering in of a type of blood disorder, and the day after that, it was confirmed to be a leukemia diagnosis.

Quick action needed

It was aggressive, and action was needed. At that time, I was informed if I had waited to seek treatment for another week or two, I may not be writing my story today. Early in my cancer journey, an allogeneic stem cell transplant was sought as a curative treatment option, along with several clinical trials to stem the tide of my IDH2 and STAG2 genetic mutations. The treatment and trials were markedly successful, and I am celebrating five years of survivorship.

Through my initial diagnosis and well into survivorship I have leaned on resources provided by outstanding organizations such as the Leukemia Research Foundation, Patient Advocacy Foundation, Cancer Hope Network, and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. These connections gave me hope as I was connected with consummate professionals and survivors who had “been there.” As the average age of diagnosis for AML is one’s late 60s, I hesitatingly navigated data and statistics geared toward a much older population. I found a large gap in the research. I am most grateful for these organizations making large inroads in blood cancer survivorship (especially in the pediatric and elderly populations). Still, there are many of us in-between who must speak up to know one is never alone during their treatments. To that end, I am proud to volunteer as a peer mentor and patient advocate and look forward to doing so as long as I am able.

Note: To learn more about the Leukemia Research Foundation’s resources for patients and caregivers, visit the Patient and Family Support section of our website.