Patient with Rare Blood Cancer Accesses Life-Saving Care
Battling Rare Blood Cancer
Shelba was diagnosed with a rare condition called myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS for short. MDS occurs when the bone marrow doesn't produce enough healthy red blood cells. This can lead to another problem - acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which is a type of blood cancer.
The best way to treat MDS and AML is aggressive chemo, and a stem cell transplant after that. But she was about to encounter one problem after another.
Treatment and Troubles
"The doctors started me on Vidazia," said Shelba, "but they had to inject it through my stomach, 14 times over 7 days." She later went in for a biopsy. Her MDS symptoms hadn't gotten worse, but they hadn't gotten better either. At this point, the doctors put her on another medication. The side effects of these drugs were awful. Shelba decided to push through.
On top of all this, Shelba faced another health obstacle: gall stones. She needed to have surgery to remove them, but the surgeon couldn't get to them and had to put a stent in. Later, she had another surgeon operate on her gallbladder. This surgeon managed to remove the gall stones and the stent as well.
After the surgery, the doctors did more tests. "My numbers still weren't where we wanted them," said Shelba.
Rough Roads...
It was late in April of 2024 when Shelba finally caught a break. She would have to drive to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. There, she would go through the last stages of her treatment. If it all worked out, she'd have her stem cell transplant in early May.
However, the road to healing soon turned rough. She couldn't afford the cost of gas for such a long drive. How would Shelba access the care she needed?
...Now Smooth
That was when Shelba found out about Mercy Medical Angels. Mercy Medical Angels sent Shelba gas cards. Now she could drive to treatment. Her path to healing smoothed out drastically, since she no longer had to worry about the costs of travel.
"The gas cards have been greatly appreciated," said Shelba.
"Thank Y'all So Much..."
Shelba has since received her stem cell transplant. She is looking forward to a better life, one where she doesn't have to fear the effects of blood cancer. If she needs help in the future, she knows Mercy Medical Angels will be there for her.
"I wouldn't have been able to receive the care I needed if Mercy Medical Angels didn't provide transportation," said Shelba.
"Thank y'all so much for this service!"
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