Introduction

Dear Reader,

        I am a 27-year-old recovering from a bone marrow transplant for very severe Aplastic Anemia (AA). While researching the disease and the transplant process, I found frustratingly few non-clinical accounts of patient experiences, much less of patients with AA. I had so many questions that no one could answer. I was afraid of joining the Facebook groups because it would be too overwhelming. The stories I found, understandably, did not have many details. In this blog, I will detail my experience and what I learned. I am writing Parts 1-4 at about 55 days post-transplant (spoiler: everything worked out). I will post a recovery update later on and other updates years out if I feel it is prudent. I hope this helps people through their unique AA journey in the future.

        I talk about medical things according to my own understanding. I am not a medical professional and what I say should not be a replacement for information from a trustworthy medical resource.

        Although this is a pretty detailed account of my experience, there is a lot of hard stuff I left out. I am happy to answer questions in the comments. I set it up so I will get an email any time a comment is posted, so feel free to ask a question even years after I posted this. Good luck and good health!

Love, Nadia

Table of Contents

Part 1: Illness

1. Onset

2. Infections

3. Patient/ Self-Advocacy

Part 2: Transplant

1. Fertility
2. The Donor
3. The Transplant
4. Hair Loss
5. Catheters

Part 3: Recovery

Part 4: Mental Health

1. Therapy
2. Self-Love
3. Writing/ Drawing
4. Moving Forward

Timeline

June 7, 2021 - First hospitalization

June 14 - Diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia (while in hospital)

August - City of Hope doctor began searching for donors

Late September - City of Hope doctor found potential donors

November 2 - Checked into City of Hope as outpatient for pre-transplant appointments

November 7 - Admitted to hospital; chemo started (Day -5)

November 12 - Transplant Day (Day 0)

December 6 - Discharged from hospital (Day +24)

February 1, 2022 - Left California to go home (Day +81)

February 20 - Day +100!