Unstoppable Testimonies

Hello! I am Anna. In July 2020 I went to donate blood, as I usually do. The nurse told me that my blood levels were so low that I should be the one receiving a blood transfusion and recommended that I go to the hospital.

I didn’t pay much attention because I am prone to anaemia. But in August I was very tired and I decided to have a blood test.

My doctor, faced with the results, sent me to the emergency room of the referral hospital. It was 1 September. I underwent a myriad of tests and, after a month of uncertainty, on 5 October I was told that I had a high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome and that, without a bone marrow transplant, I would only live for a few months. I had never had any illness before and I couldn’t believe it.

I was put on a very mild chemotherapy for 6 months but it did not achieve great results so the transplant was becoming urgent.

Because time was running out, my donor ended up being my brother but, as he was not 100% compatible, the chemotherapy I had to undergo once I was admitted before the transplant was very tough to endure. After 6 weeks in hospital I was discharged, but after 15 days I was admitted for two more weeks due to an infection.

Little by little I am still trying to recover as my new bone marrow works very slowly and my blood values are always low.

I am deeply grateful first of all to my donor brother. Because of him I am still alive! To my husband, children, family and friends for all the love and support.

Thanks to everyone at the Hospital de Can Ruti (ICO-Badalona). They were exceptional.

And thanks to the Josep Carreras Foundation for everything it does.

Anna