Jocelyn
fighting ALL
WISH: Hawaii
My life before my diagnosis was pretty normal but I couldn't have asked for anything better. I was a very active 21 year old that was living at home. I am the oldest daughter, with 2 blended families with a total of 9 siblings combined, so I guess you could say I have a really big family but life at home was never boring. I was going to Stanislaus State University full time, which is about a 30 minute commute from Merced, my hometown. I was studying Chemistry/Biology hoping to get into the Medical Field one day. I also worked at the local coffee shop, Dutch Bros Coffee, as a barista. Some things I enjoy doing in my free time are going to the gym, playing soccer with my little sister, as I grew up playing soccer until high school and she just started playing, and watching sports! I love watching really any type of sports but I would say my favorite is football-Go Niners, baseball(Giants), and soccer (USA). Also, I really enjoy going on trips, going to the beach, and going to concerts with friends. Really anything and everything I could do, I would without hesitation. I was really living my best life and getting use to my everyday schedule.
During finals week, I started feeling really tired. I didn't think anything of it just as a lack of sleep from studying so much. Then throughout the week I started developing more symptoms such as pounding headaches, shortness of breath, and one day I came home to my mom noticing my lips were super pale. From that moment, my mom noticed our doctor who ordered lab work. It took a couple days to get that done but my only focus was my finals. After a few days, I had decided I wanted to go to my friends graduation no matter how I was feeling. That day, I woke up from a nap, got ready, and took some ibuprofen to get myself through the day. During the ceremony, is when the doctor had called with the results. He told me I needed to go to the ER immediately, as my mom was so worried she came to pick me up. My hemoglobin was at a 4.1, and the normal range is 12-16, so mine has been extremely low. I was then admitted to the local hospital where I received 3 blood transfusions within the same night. Even the nurses had never seen anything lower than 7 and was surprised I was still walking at that point. A few days later, I ended up at Stanford Medical Center, where I received my official diagnosis of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. This day my life changed forever.
After my diagnosis, my life completely turned upside-down. I have been in the hospital more than I have been home. I had to take a break from school, work, the gym, and trips. I also haven't been able to really see any of my family or friends, unless they were willing to make the 2 and a half hour drive from our hometown. My mom and dad have been switching off staying with me because they do allow one caregiver overnight. Thankfully, one day I was able to see the light again through all these dark days. I just received my bone marrow transplant! My 17 year old brother was thankfully a 100% match. I couldn't be more thankful it worked out that way because then my journey would've probably been a lot longer. Through this all, I am thankful to call this my journey and have such a great support system on my side. I know this journey will only make me stronger as a person, and overall I am just grateful to be alive!