The diagnosis

I have been diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL). It is a rare and aggressive form of leukemia in adults where only half of 1% of cancers are this type though it is more common in children  This diagnosis makes sense as I have many of the symptoms. The bone lesions, that showed up on the MRI that led to the discovery, complicate matters as they are also very rare and indicate the cancer is more advanced.

At this point that is all that we know. I have been referred to the hematology and pain management teams at Huntsman so we are just waiting to hear from them to know what the next steps are. In my research though I have found that it's rare for an adult to be diagnosed with B-ALL as it is usually young children who are diagnosed with it. But I guess that makes sense as Sherrie knows how many times I act like a child :) But we are very worried about how aggressive it is and hope we can get to the doctor very soon.

The biggest challenge at this point is the pain I am experiencing although the pain medication is helping quite a bit but not completely. So it can be tough to sleep as the pain gets worse at night. I am totally exhausted most of the time and struggle because I have to watch everybody around me do everything while I sit around like a bump on a log. So not only does Shrerie have to do almost everything, though the kids help, she has to deal with the emotion and stress of it all. She is incredibly strong and amazing but I worry about the toll it is taking on her.

Regardless of the diagnosis we still have hope in God's plan and that all will work according to His plan for us. I have found the talk by Elder Patrick Kearon gives me great hope:

"My friends, my fellow disciples on the road of mortal life, our Father’s beautiful plan, even His “fabulous” plan, is designed to bring you home, not to keep you out. No one has built a roadblock and stationed someone there to turn you around and send you away. In fact, it is the exact opposite. God is in relentless pursuit of you. He “wants all of His children to choose to return to Him,” and He employs every possible measure to bring you back

Our loving Father oversaw the Creation of this very earth for the express purpose of providing an opportunity for you and for me to have the stretching and refining experiences of mortality, the chance to use our God-given moral agency to choose Him, to learn and grow, to make mistakes, to repent, to love God and our neighbor, and to one day return home to Him.

He sent His precious Beloved Son to this fallen world to live the full range of the human experience, to provide an example for the rest of His children to follow, and to atone and redeem. Christ’s great atoning gift removes every roadblock of physical and spiritual death that would separate us from our eternal home." ("God’s Intent Is to Bring You Home" Elder Patrick Kearon April 2024)

See the timeline since the discovery of the cancer by clicking this link TIMELIINE

If you are curious about the type of cancer I have. You can go to the American Cancer Society and view the following articles.

What is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia?

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) Subtypes and Prognostic Factors