Â鶹ӳ»­

When Sandra Hurley was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) back in 1997, an Ohio-based oncologist gave her two to four more years to live and bluntly told her to get her affairs in order.

¡°After I went through the shock, tears and ¡®woe is me¡¯ stages, I just thought, ¡®This is unacceptable,¡¯¡± Sandra says. ¡°I was only in my mid-40s at the time. And my kids had just graduated from high school and entered military academies, so I still had lots to do.¡±

Thankfully, Sandra didn¡¯t take that doctor¡¯s advice. Instead, she came to MD Anderson for a second opinion ¨C and ultimately a successful allogeneic stem cell transplant. 

Identifying Sandra¡¯s stem cell donor

During her first visit to MD Anderson, Sandra met with

¡°Dr. Keating was just so positive,¡± Sandra recalls. ¡°He said, ¡®That¡¯s a bunch of bunk. You¡¯re not going to die.¡¯ He told me I was going to have to go through some bad times, but that there were so many new treatments we could try. And we¡¯d just keep working at it.¡±

Under Keating¡¯s care, Sandra participated in a number of clinical trials involving different chemotherapy combinations. After more than a decade of those treatments, she received an allogeneic stem cell transplant. But locating a good bone marrow donor was a challenge.

¡°I¡¯ve only got one sister, and neither she nor my kids were a match,¡± Sandra says. ¡°So, the doctors conducted a worldwide search. It turned out a 26-year-old male was almost a perfect match. And he was willing to do this for a complete stranger, which I¡¯m just in awe of.¡±

Allogeneic stem cell transplant side effects

Sandra¡¯s allogeneic stem cell transplant took place on May 26, 2010. After the procedure, debilitating fatigue proved to be one of the hardest side effects to deal with.

¡°I remember getting up in the mornings and willing myself to stay awake until after lunch,¡± Sandra says. ¡°That¡¯s when I would finally let myself take a nap.¡±

Weight loss also posed a significant challenge. ¡°I was about 110 pounds my whole life,¡± Sandra says. ¡°But after the transplant, I had no appetite, and if I hit 104 pounds, it was a good day. I used to put rolls of pennies in my pockets when I would come in for my check-ups, because psychologically, I just could not handle going below 100.¡±

But the most emotionally wrenching side effect for Sandra was losing her hair. She dealt with it by cutting her dark-brown tresses super short right before the allogenic stem cell transplant, and afterwards by embracing the curly gray locks that grew back.

¡°The hair loss was more than vanity,¡± Sandra says. ¡°It was about the realization that I was sick. Walking out of the salon with no hair was traumatic. But after my first haircut, my hair started coming in dark brown again. I¡¯m back to myself.¡±

Advice for other leukemia patients

One way Sandra stayed positive throughout her cancer journey was by connecting with other leukemia survivors.

¡°A woman who lived about 20 miles north of us had had CLL for 20 years,¡± she says. ¡°She was a lot older than I was when she was diagnosed, but I started talking to her and she gave me hope.¡±

A man Sandra befriended in the waiting area of Keating¡¯s office also had CLL, and his disease progressed much faster than hers.

¡°So, I would call him and ask, ¡®What should I expect?¡¯¡± Sandra says. ¡°We are still friends to this day.¡±

Now, she shares that same encouragement with other patients through myCancerConnection, MD Anderson¡¯s one-on-one support program for patients and caregivers.

¡°I tell people just three things: watch your stress levels, keep a positive attitude and find some kind of faith,¡± Sandra says. ¡°Trust that everything is OK. With CLL, you¡¯re never really considered ¡®cured,¡¯ but I am in total remission now, almost 20 years later. And that¡¯s about as good as you¡¯re going to get.¡±

or by calling 1-877-632-6789.