Junelle’s Story

My name is Junell, I’m from Pennsylvania. My mom (Cathy) passed June 1, 2000 to acute mylegenous leukemia. I was currently 21 and pregnant with my first child.

She was my best friend and 18 months prior I helped her take care of my dad as he was passing with throat cancer that spread everywhere.

While this was super hard and trying it allowed my mom and I to grow a lot closer. She was my everything at the time.

After dad passed she was forced to get another job (she quit her previous job to help take care of him). When she applied they were desperate for help so they hired her on the spot. After starting they still needed her to do all the intake ‘stuff’ so one of those requirements was a physical. It was during the physical, it was when they found she had leukemia BUT since she was already working, they couldn’t fire her because of it (truly a blessing, in disguise). She went under treatment for a year with no success so the next step was a bone marrow transplant.

The hospital she was having it done at is a teaching hospital. I didn't know it but they had a new experiment they wanted to try out which was to change one's blood type through the bone marrow transplant. She signed up for it without telling anyone. Unfortunately it didn’t work!

It’s been the hardest 23 years of my life but I also don’t judge her for that decision… it was definitely hard to understand at the beginning since dad had just passed but I also understand her reasoning. It has been life changing losing both parents so young and so close together but I find talking with others who have had similar experiences definitely helps. I continue to live my life to make them proud!!