Today is National Cancer Survivors Day. You might not realize it, but we cancer survivors think about your generous donations a lot. To celebrate this year, I want to say thanks on behalf of myself and other cancer survivors worldwide by sharing my story. Donors play a big role in our cancer journeys, but we rarely get the chance to thank them.

I want to paint a picture of just how crucial blood and platelet donations were in my own cancer treatment.

Back in 2015, I was in my last semester of graduate school. I had no genetic history of cancer in my family. I had just turned 26 years old, and I was considered to be in good health. I kept up with my annual primary care check-ups. On top of school and working part-time, I was going to the gym five days a week. I was notorious for coming to class with a kale smoothie instead of snacks and candy. Cancer was not on my radar at all.

The first symptom I noticed was my shortness of breath. I had just run my first half marathon and now I couldn’t even walk to class without losing my breath. I attributed it to high Georgia humidity and a flare-up in my asthma.

The next symptoms I noticed were some small lumps in my neck. I didn’t know much about lymph nodes, but I knew that they swell up when you’re sick. “I must be sick. That’s probably all it is,” I told myself. But, after weeks of taking over-the-counter cold medications, my sister insisted that I have the lymph nodes checked by a doctor.

That doctor’s appointment led to the realization of another symptom that I had been dismissing - night sweats. I live in Georgia! It gets hot here! I didn’t think much of the night sweats until the doctor asked, “Do you sweat through your clothes and sheets?”

Everything began to move rather quickly after that initial visit. There were so many appointments and tests that had to be done before I finally received my official diagnosis from an oncologist on April 28, 2015. Twenty-six days after I turned 26 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage 3B Classical Nodular Sclerosis Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that affects the immune system, which is why most patients see a swelling of the lymph nodes.

At the time, first line treatment for this type of cancer was to do six months of chemotherapy. My doctor told me I was “lucky” because this was a very treatable form of cancer with a high survival rate. He assured me that I was young and healthy and would be back to my normal life after six months of chemotherapy. That was not my experience.

After arranging make-up final exams with my professors, I was able to graduate alongside my classmates. I had my port placement surgery two days before the graduation ceremony, so I was not very coherent for commencement. I had friends physically holding me up while I was waiting to walk across the stage. I watched my friends and classmates start their new careers as I started chemotherapy five days later.

Despite what the oncologist told me, my treatment did not end after six months. The first line of chemotherapy had failed. My cancer was still very active, and my body was giving out. My hemoglobin had been holding on at the lowest acceptable limits, but it had finally dipped below the threshold. I needed a blood transfusion.

That was the first time in my life I realized there was a vast difference between just being physically tired[MC1]  and your actual blood being tired. I was exhausted for weeks, barely able to get out of bed or do any normal, daily activities. I could barely function. I was dragging myself into the hospital for the transfusion. After six hours and two units of AB+ blood, the nurses were pleased with my rapid progress. I was skipping out of the transfusion bay. The turnaround was immediate. I felt like myself again. I couldn’t believe it.

In my nearly three years of treatment, I have been through chemotherapy, total body irradiation, immunotherapy, several clinical trials, an autologous stem cell transplant, and an allogeneic stem cell transplant. As the treatments became more and more intense, my body would need more transfusions. I lost count after 12 units of blood.

Platelets became essential during both of my transplants. There are days in the hospital that I can’t even remember because my immune system had to be broken down and rebuilt. My white blood cell count was zero. There was no way for my blood to clot and I was highly susceptible to infection. My platelet count was virtually zero. If I were to start bleeding, my body would not be able to stop it by clotting. A simple cut could turn deadly. I received daily platelet transfusions in the days immediately following both of my transplants.

This year, I celebrated six years of remission. I often think of how grateful I am to those anonymous blood and platelet donors who helped me beat my cancer. To the donors who hopefully opened their American Red Cross Blood Donor App and saw their donation head to Winship Cancer Institute, you saved my life.

Cancer among young adults is on the rise and the blood supply is constantly reaching devastating lows. I see people in my cancer support groups postponing their transplants because they may not have enough blood or platelets to survive it.

I am no longer able to donate blood or platelets myself because of my diagnosis. I am grateful that there are still so many heroes out there carrying that weight. Meanwhile, my contribution is to use my story and my voice as an advocate for blood and platelet donation. As cancer survivors celebrate worldwide today, just know that you played a part in making that happen.

Everyone has blood. But there is an elite group of heroes who choose to share it. You are a hero.

Thank you for donating blood. Thank you for donating platelets. Thank you for donating your time. We would not be here without you. I would not be here without you.

Forever grateful,

Stephenie Lai Perry
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Survivor
Blood and Platelet Recipient
In Remission Since 2018