May 25, 2012 was a day that will forever have changed my life. On this day one of my best friends was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, or AML. It is a type of cancer and it is not very common in children. As a friend it has been a difficult experience and I have learned a lot about not only AML and cancer treatment, but how to be a good friend to someone dealing with a serious illness.
AML is diagnosed in about five hundred children in the United States every year. Fewer than ten percent of people that have AML are children. AML is a cancer of blood and bone marrow. The cells of the blood and bone marrow turn out abnormally and they grow quickly, crowding out the normal cells the body needs. Symptoms include fevers, frequent infections, feeling tired or weak, being short of breath, looking pale, easy bleeding or bruising, and pain in the bone or joints. It is diagnosed when blood and bone marrow samples show a large number of leukemia cells (“Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)”). Doctors examine the samples and look at the number of healthy blood cells, the size and number of leukemia cells, the changes that appear in the leukemia cells, and other genetic abnormalities to determine which subtype of leukemia it is.
While upon initial diagnosis it may seem like it is the end of your world, it is not. About eighty to ninety percent of children with AML attain remissions, some have later reoccurrences and about seventy percent of children achieve long term remission (“Leukemias / Lymphomas: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)”). Some treatment options include chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. Chemotherapy consists of about a week of treatment and three or more weeks of recovery from treatment. It is usually very intense and has side effects that can often be treated with other medication. The goal of chemo is to bring the patient into remission, however sometimes that does not always occur after the first round of chemo and additional rounds may be necessary. If chemotherapy alone cannot bring the patient into remission, it is common for the patient to receive a stem cell transplant. This can be used with cells from another person, either a relative or unrelated donor, or sometimes blood forming cells from the patient themselves. When a patient receives a transplant using their own cells, there are lower risks of serious side effects, but they are more likely to relapse (“Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)”). In a transplant using the patient’s own cells, blood forming cells are collected from the blood stream and are usually frozen until the patient is ready for the transplant (“Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)”). In transplants using other people’s cells, these healthy cells replace the abnormal cells of the patient (“Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)”). It is important for patients to know that it is not the end and that with the right treatment they have a good chance of making it through.
When my friend was diagnosed it was hard to deal with, but as time went on and I learned more about the disease and treatment, I was able to deal with it much better. At first many people feel like their loved one doesn’t deserve the disease, no one does. I know that when my friend was diagnosed I even thought, “Why couldn’t it have been me instead? I probably deserve it more.” These thoughts are normal. Everyone deals with the news differently; some may need to talk about, others may not want to. When my friend was diagnosed people would try to tell me that it would be okay and that there is ways to treat it so she can get better, but I did not want to hear that. I did not want to hear anything and just wanted to be left alone. For me it was better to process it on my own. I think it is hard for anyone to fully accept something like this so you will never be fully prepared when you first witness your friend in this condition. I think people need to push aside their feelings and grief and just be positive, so you can make your friend feel a little better. For me, since I do not drive, it was hard to find ways to get to the hospital and a lot of times I wasn’t able to go when I wanted. I soon realized that that did not even matter to my friend. While she did miss us and want visitors, she was happy when we were able to come see her. Any visitors made her feel better, although sometimes she felt self-conscious around certain people. I think that if your friend is going through a similar situation it is best to visit as often as you can, but don’t beat yourself up about it if you can’t always visit as frequently as preferred. It is also helpful to find humor during this hard time because it really helps to make your friend feel better. The hardest part so far has been the transplant my friend has received. She got a transplant from an unrelated donor and is now in isolation. She has to be in isolation to rebuild her immune system after the radiation that she received prior to the transplant completely diminished it. Due to isolation she cannot have people in her house and she cannot go into public places. This has made it hard to visit her and because she received her transplant in November, we have had to bear the cold, which has also been difficult. This has been a long journey so far and it is still continuing, but it has taught me a lot about how strong of a person my friend is and how strong of a friendship my friends and I have with her.
AML has greatly affected my life and since my friend’s diagnosis with it, I have learned a lot about the disease. Not only has it taught me about the disease itself, but it has taught me a lot about loved ones and life. Millions of people are affected by cancer every day and every one of them has learned how precious life is. Hopefully one day there will be a cure for all forms of cancer.
Works Cited
“Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML).” National Marrow Donor Program. 2013. Web. 27

Mar. 2013. http://marrow.org/Patient/Disease_and_Treatment/About_Your_Disease/AML/Acute_Myelogenous_Leukemia_(AML).aspx.


“Leukemias / Lymphomas: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).” St. Jude Children's Research


Hospital. 2013. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jspvgnextoid=775c061585f70110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD.