Real Life Heroes

Meet Natalie

"Why I do what I do: (With excerpts from my journal during treatment)

Being told that I had cancer was the most terrifying thing anyone has ever told me.

 -Nov 27, 2008 "Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)....that's what the doctor says I have. The underlying reason for what's going on with my body. It can't be cancer! I don't want it to be cancer. The doctor gave me a pamphlet to read about the type of cancer I have but I don't want it. I don't want to read about it. I just want it to go away!"

 -Nov 30, 2008 "I feel so scared, I'm normally in control and things go according to plan, this is so hard and terrifying for me. All of this is out of my control, out of my hands. This definitely wasn't in any of my plans. I guess I need to look at this as a lesson, a lesson learned that we are not always in control of our fate."

 After the shock of what I'd been told wore off, my thoughts immediately went to my family...

 -Dec 9, 2008 "Cancer is an indiscriminate, awful, aggressive disease that can take the life from even the strongest of wills. If this is going to claim my life I would not want for anyone, especially those most dear to my heart, to think that I wanted anything less than to live. Because that is all I hope for during this time. I hope for life. I want it. I want to live! I want more than anything to watch Dean and Allie grow into the fine adults I know they will become. I want to be there for them when they learn to drive, for their first date, graduation, marriage, parenthood, and all the things in between. And I want to be there for Kevin, who I have loved with all my heart for so long, but not long enough!"

 -Dec 15, 2008 "I don't want to die. It can't be my time. I'm not ready to be done. There's so much that lies ahead. Good thoughts, trying to have good thoughts. But there's one question that keeps creeping back in; am I going to die? I know we are all going to die, but now, am I going to die now?!"

 -Dec 22, 2008 "Now that I've lost all of my hair I don't like going out. I'm afraid of the oh-my-god-you've-got-cancer face. I don't want people to pity me. Sometimes I feel like people are afraid to be around me, like it reminds them that it, cancer, can happen to anyone, even them. Nobody wants to be reminded of that. I try to be brave for my kids; I try to be as normal for them as possible. The fear that I see in their eyes angers and saddens me for I'm the one that's caused it. Me, their mother, put this fear in them. They should associate me with love, not with fear of any kind, let alone fear of dying!"

 -Jan 2, 2009 "The pain is so bad at times. It's in my bones. It hurts so bad to sit down or stand. I start to sit and then halfway down, I just collapse from too much pain. The Vicodin only helps so much."

 -Jan 20, 2009 "Waiting for this to be over. Will it ever be over? Positive, think positive, I know that's what I need to do, it's just so hard sometimes. At least I'm not in the hospital. Will always be thankful for everyday that I'm not in there. Listening to Dean and Allie argue is like music to my ears compared to the silence of my hospital room."

 -Feb 15, 2009 "Although I'm truly thankful to be home, it's hard having no energy to help with things around the house. I feel guilty that Kevin works all day and then comes home to dishes and laundry and everything. I want to do more, my body just doesn't cooperate. I want to help Dean and Allie with homework. I have always helped them when they've needed it, I just don't have the strength to even sit at the kitchen table and think. I'm so sorry. I want to be strong, I don't want them to see me weak or in pain. I always try to hide the pain. I know it must hurt them."

 -Apr 1, 2009 "Every day seems to get a little easier. I'm physically feeling stronger. I no longer sit most of the day on the sofa. My naps are less frequent. I think mentally I'm stronger as well. As my hair regrows, so does my confidence. I know I shouldn't care about such trivial things, but losing my hair was a big deal for me. To me, every time I looked in the mirror and saw my bald head, it reminded me, like a scar, that I had cancer. Now as my hair is growing back, it's covering that scar. I'm healing, the wound is closing. I don't notice the oh-my-god-you've-got-cancer face anymore. I'm so thankful for that, it was so hard for me to have people see me as weak. I don't believe I ever considered myself as weak before, but I do consider myself lucky. Lucky to have life!!!"

 I attended a Writing For Healing workshop offered through The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to help me with my coping and healing. During this class I did an exercise where I was to write about the contents of a 'magic box' that was in front of me. The box could contain anything I wanted it to. This is what I wrote:
    "When I open this magic box that lays in front of me it contains something that has limitless potential and value. It means more to me than any words can say, but it also means so much to so many others. It can make a difference in the lives of many; in fact, it can actually save lives. What lies in this magic box is a cure, a cure for cancer. It's a cure for whatever cancer you have."

 To me the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is like the key to this magic box. For all the money that they have raised for research I believe one day there will be a cure.

 Now that I am in remission you might wonder why it is I keep doing what I do with Team In Training. Even though things look good for me today I do what I do because there is always somebody where things don't look so good for them. The unfortunate ones that were diagnosed with APL 10 years prior to me were almost certainly given a death sentence. I am truly thankful to the research that was done that has given me life.

 I do what I do because the medicine that saved my life was very bad for my body. The ultimate goal is a cure but I will always do my best to raise awareness and money to further fund research that can lead to better treatments that are less harmful to patients. Though I'm thankful to be alive, I can't help but worry that I may relapse or end up with complications from all the chemotherapy I had. One side effect from one of my chemo drugs was that it may cause a secondary leukemia. Something else I worry about from taking my chemo drugs is ending up with anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy which can lead to congestive heart failure.

 I do what I do for those that have lost their lives prematurely. I do what
I do for those currently facing the hardest, most difficult time of their life. And I will do what I do till I can do no more.

~Natalie"

Meeting Natalie today you would never know her struggle. She completed a half Ironman called "Barb's Race" in July 2011. The event was a unique opportunity for women to do a half distance triathlon that raises money to support women facing a cancer diagnosis. Athletes swam 1.2 miles, biked 56 miles, and ran 13.1 miles. The most amazing part....Natalie was only 3 months out of Chemotherapy! 

Natalie is truly an inspiration to me and others that she meets. Please help her and other mothers continue to watch their children grow up by donating to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Sylvia's Second Chance

I first met Sylvia on a 5 mile run. We were running through Downtown San Jose and around mile 3 we noticed we were running about the same pace. As I was beginning to fade in my effort Sylvia began her story….

In early 2009 Sylvia went into the dentist for a routine wisdom teeth extraction. She had been laid off of her work and her insurance was set to expire in 4 months. After two months of painkillers and antibiotics Sylvia was unable to fight what seemed to be an infection on the side of her cheek. Finally in late May she was diagnosed with Leukemia (AML), a fast growing blood cancer, and was immediately sent to the ER. Statistically usually white males over the age of 65 get this disease and Sylvia only had a 1% chance of getting AML. In the ER she needed 4 pints of blood. The doctor on call told her, "I don't even know how you are walking"? Her hemoglobin was at a 4, a normal female’s hemoglobin is around 11-15, which meant she had no blood in her body. Sylvia was lucky she didn’t slip into a coma or go into cardiac arrest. After being hooked up to the IV she was admitted into ICU, where she remained for 3 days before treatment could begin.

Sylvia’s first cycle of Chemotherapy was injected in her IV for 24 hours a day for a week. She remained in the hospital for a month, and then had three more cycles of chemo. In less than a year she was hospitalized seven times all together. During her time in and out of the hospital she continued to live her life. She went to baseball games and family events. She wanted to show people, “I am still alive and I am not going to let cancer beat me.”

In November 2009, she went into remission. At that moment Sylvia felt life was given back into her and she was given a second chance of life. But she felt there was something she needed to do, give back. She wanted to run a half-marathon, but people laughed. They said you had Cancer, how do you expect to run, when at times during treatment she couldn't walk 50 feet without assistance. With Chemo and the love for her three daughters, Sylvia was determined to beat cancer, because "Losing was never an option"! “My daughters are reason I wake up in the morning, fight everyday and believe why I am alive today.”

Six months into her remission she joined Team in Training, an organization committed to supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, as an Honoree and a participant. Of course people didn't think she could handle such strenuous training, her question to them was, “And Chemo isn't hard?”

“All you have to do is believe in one person and that person is you! It doesn't matter what others think or say. If you believe in yourself the sky is the limit. I'm living proof of that. Last year my goal was to run three half-marathons, one for each of my daughters, to show them anything is possible. My hope is there is a cure soon and I will relentlessly run marathons to raise awareness.”

Sylvia completed each of those half marathons during her first year of remission. This year her goal is to run five half marathons.

Now, she volunteers with “First connection” a part of LLS, which gives newly diagnosed patients a connection with someone who has been through the journey. “There is no better feeling than giving someone with cancer hope, letting them know they are not alone, and yes you can beat this.”

Sylvia’s story not only inspired me to finish those 5 miles that day, but is a story I carry with me each and every time I run. With your donations we can help Sylvia reach her goal of finding a cure for cancer. But we all have to work together in order to succeed.

Jack Aiello

 

Jack Aiello was an ordinary person just like you and me until he was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in April 1995. Today he is currently a devoted husband of 39 years. At the age of 61, he and his wife are blessed with three children, two daughters and one son. His oldest daughter graduated from University of Washington and now works full time in the area of breast cancer research. Perhaps you can relate to Jack through his family or his career.

After being diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in April 1995, Jack was treated with numerous types of chemotherapy. He had two transplants (his own stem cells) in 1996 followed by a third transplant (donor stem cells) in November of 1998.  Since there is no cure for Myeloma, Jack continued to battle this disease following the donor transplant. These “skirmishes” included various rounds of medication and radiation in an attempt to keep the Myeloma under control before his bones or immune system was damaged further. Fortunately, his Myeloma has been in complete remission and he has not been on any treatment since 2002.

Jack was employed through November of 2002 full-time as VP of Customer Support at a video equipment manufacturer in Northern California.  Although his Myeloma is currently in remission, treatment side effects have caused him to develop a severe case of peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage to feet, legs, and right hand) resulting in his going on medical disability just a month later.

His goal is to see Myeloma cured in the next 5 years. “I’m incredibly fortunate to have survived this long with Myeloma, which even today only has a 5-6 year average life span after diagnosis.  I’ve watched my kids turn into fine adults: I’ve seen my son Jason conduct his high school orchestra; I’ve walked both daughters Erin and Krista down the wedding aisle and in July 2009 became “Grandpa Jack” to a beautiful baby named Ella.  How lucky am I?”

Help Jack reach his goal of seeing Myeloma cured, your donation benefits patients, resources, and cancer research. Every little bit counts. Donate today!

Louie Bonpua
      
     Louie Bonpua is a real life hero who recently passed away from Leukemia. Louie is truly an inspiration to others. During his 4 1/2 year fight against cancer he decided that he wasn't going to sit back. Instead he trained and completed 9 Triathlons including an Ironman.  Why? "Because I want to show people that you can still live, even when they tell you you're going to die." He not only fought back, but he always had a smile on his face and a positive attitude.

    Louie was later  honored with carrying the Olympic Torch in San Francisco in 2002. Days before carrying the torch Louie had relapsed and was in the hospital. But he didn't let that stop him. He told the doctors he was leaving with or without their permission. He refused the wheelchair and walked .2 miles carrying the torch.  He died shortly after that day, but his legacy lives on.  To learn more about this Real Life Hero you can watch the video below.

More About Louie Bonpua


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