“My life completely changed... not only was I physically effected by the disease, but also psychologically.. everything” That was the first response of my friend, who had Leukemia. Leukemia is simply a type of cancer in the blood cells. This essay will explore the information regarding the symptoms, the treatments and the various types of this disease. Finally, we will look at how this disease affects the lives of the patients and the issues around it.

Leukemia occurs when the bone marrow starts to produce abnormal amounts of blood cells. That causes the blood cells to become damaged. As a result, it grows and divides at a very high rate. Over time these leukemia cells crowd out normal blood cells, which cause the sufferer to be ill. There are many types of Leukemia and their effect varies slightly. It can first be divided into two main types: acute or chronic. Leukemia can be further categorized into 2 other main types, which is Lymphocytic and Myelogenous (more info). To more precision, there are four specific categories: ALL, AML, CLL, CML.

Generally, Leukemia symptoms vary from patient to patient. It depends on the number of normal blood cells, the amount of leukemia and its location in the body. A low number of red blood cells may result in anemia. This means that the patient will become tired easily and the body condition is weak. My friend, who had Leukemia, remembers her past experiences when she “ could barely walk from the hospital bed to the toilet... and her strength seem to have vanished”. The treatment depends on the stage and the type of the cancer. Normally, most patients undergo chemotherapy, especially in Acute Leukemia (ALL & AML). Other options include radiation therapy, and blood or bone marrow transplant (BMT).

The most important aspect of this disease is the issues that change the quality of life, and have a major impact on clinical and financial situations. My friend was diagnosed with ALL type Leukemia and she was informed of this grave news when she was just ten years old. Her mentality changed completely. Her joyful childhood was replaced with miserable experiences in the hospital. She began to question, “Why did this happen to me? Why does it affect the people I love?” To make matters worse, she was isolated. After being released from the hospital, she could only stay in the house. Her love for running and playing was taken away. Instead, she was restricted to limited activities. From my memory, I can recall her absence for an entire school year. For the following two years, she was unable to participate in physical education. She used to say, “I can only watch and hope to be like everyone else”.

Besides the physical and mental changes of this cancer, there are also clinical issues and treatment issues. Chemotherapy is given in doses of medications. When one type is completed, they will change the type until all sets are completed. My friend encountered problems, when her hair began to fall off. She described her hair as “falling like the rain.” As a result, she was embarrassed to go out in public due to the fear of discrimination. When her body began to swell up, she described it as a horrible feeling. Even now, many years since she was cured, she needs to go for regular checkups. When I asked her opinion about the whole experience, she simply replied, “ I don’t usually think about it, it was a memory that reminded me of some terrible life I used to have”. The final issue that occurred is the financial consequences. My country, Thailand, does not have an established primary healthcare system. Specialized doctors come at a high cost. Financially, my friend's family is greatly affected by the costs of these treatments. They paid the fees with the social security health plan, but eventually it was used up. The company even refused her purchasing of a new plan. Therefore, she has no support in the near future. Despite the difficult obstacles that she faced with her family, she remains positive about the situation. Two years after she was diagnosed with cancer, she was finally cured.

Leukemia is one of the most common types of cancer that people can get. About 850 Canadian children (age 0 -14) develop cancer each year. It is the most common disease related to the cause of death in children within ages of 1 to 19. With modern technology, Leukemia can be cured if noticed in advance. However, the patients will have to undergo various therapies. Undoubtedly, this will change their lives completely. I asked my friend if she has anything to add concerning this topic and she said “ I know my life has completely changed ....there are many things I want to do... I lost a majority of my childhood, but being sad and hopeless isn't going to help at all...I learned to live through it and I succeeded...you need to enjoy every single day".

by Pongsakorn Yananissorn

For further information about Leukemia, you can go to the following websites:

http://www.marrow.org/PATIENT/Undrstnd_Disease_Treat/Lrn_about_Disease/ALL/index.html

http://www.mayoclinic.org/acute-leukemia/

http://www.healthtree.com/articles/leukemia/bone-marrow/.

http://www.healthtree.com/articles/leukemia/types/

http://wilhoite.blogspot.com/

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