This is John Michael. His mom is our friend, Kim. I met Kim a couple of days after Cora was diagnosed. She was a volunteer for CURE Childhood Cancer at the time and she came to visit newly diagnosed patients. She has since started her own not for profit here in Savannah called, Hope For Savannah.http://www.hopeforsavannah.com/ We love Kim, she's awesome and we plan to do lots of work with her in the future. Anyway, here's John Michael's story in his own words.
"I was diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia (AML) on January 5, 2005 when I was thirteen. Although I had very few symptoms, 95% of my bone marrow was malignant cancer. I was hospitalized the next day for my first round of chemotherapy. I stayed for over a month fighting the side effects of my various chemo drugs. My next bone marrow aspiration showed me to be cancer free! Because AML is so aggressive, we had lots more to do before the battle was over to keep it from coming back. I had three more rounds of chemo to wipe out all of the marrow (even the healthy) in my bones, to prepare for a bone marrow transplant (BMT). My sister turned out to be a good enough match to donate her bone marrow. After her surgery, where two surgeons removed marrow from 100 different places along her hip bones, I was transfused with this life saving blood producer. 10 days later I was in ICU fighting for my life. I had developed several life threatening side effects from the chemo and BMT, including Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD), blindness, diabetes, VOD (liver failure), and Avascular Neucrosis (AVN). I have had almost 200 blood and platelet transfusions, taken more pills than we can count, had two central lines and a portacath, spent more time in the hospital than at home the year of my diagnosis, had 7 bone marrow aspirations, drove to Atlanta from my home, 4 hours away, once a week, for several months, lived in Atlanta for 3 months during my BMT, missed being in school full-time for almost two years after my diagnosis, had two hip surgeries to help my AVN, repeated my childhood immunizations, and been isolated from friends and family for long periods of time.
Through all this I have grown closer to my family and to God. I know He has a purpose for my life. Cancer is not the title to the book of my life, it is merely a chapter. Even though I have been lucky to become cancer free, lots of kids every year don’t make it. We have to fight for the day when there is a CURE for every kid diagnosed with cancer. We also have to aggressively pursue CURES with less side effects. I have been cancer free for almost 2 ½ years!"
To me, John Michael is living proof that faith and prayer combined with modern medicine and excellent prayer can work wonders! John Michael really really went through it! He was a teenager at the time of diagnosis which is difficult for anyone. He has undergone not only the stem cell transplant procedure and all that came after that, but just this past year he had his 2nd hip surgery because of the toxic effects of chemotherapy. John Michael is an amazing young man who gives back every chance he gets. He graduated from high school last May and began his freshman year at Georgia Southern University just a few weeks ago. Talk about overcoming!!! Yay, John Michael! Thanks for being such an inspiration!!!
If you'd like more details about John Michael's journey visit his caringbridge site at http://www.caringbridge.org/ga/johnmichael/
