How the Leukemia Society Inspired One Man's Sacrifice & Legacy of Love by Sara

How the Leukemia Society Inspired One Man's Sacrifice & Legacy of Love by Sara - December 2019 Scholarship Essay

On September 4, 2017, my life was changed forever. It was on this fateful day in a cold, sterile hospital room that my dad was given a death sentence. As the chart was read, the words: “leukemia; terminal, four months” echoed through my mind. My parents spoke in hushed whispers as if my 17-year-old brain would somehow not comprehend and be spared the agonizing pain and fear that cut through my heart. My dad was a faithful man of God, who had dedicated his legal practice to helping so many others. He was always so strong and confident, but in that moment, I overheard the strongest man I had ever known confront the fear of his own mortality. As I hid outside the hospital room, I overheard my dad ask my mother, “You know, I have spent 20 years helping clients who have developed blood cancers from exposure to chemicals. I have probably helped thousands of people and I know if given the chance, I could help thousands more. But now, I may die from the exact same cancer. Why do you think God took me out of the game?”

I fought back tears when silence was the only answer he received. Because there was no understanding and there were no words. Acute Myeloid Leukemia was an aggressive form of leukemia. There were no affective treatments offered in NC, so my parents relocated to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to participate in clinical trials, funded in part by the Leukemia Society.

Over the next year, my dad fought through seven clinical trials. It seemed trial after trial was met with the same bad news: "the trial was not affective". But my dad would just smile up at the oncologist and shrug his shoulders and say, "ok, what's next, doc?" He was never defeated and never gave up. His spirits were lifted daily by the encouraging support of the Leukemia Society members who fought along beside him. My father, learning of the ground-breaking progress that this organization was making, fought all the harder. But he did not fight for himself. He fought desperately through multiple trials in the hopes of helping to find a cure for the estimated 200,000 other people diagnosed with this disease. He fought for his friend who is a lymphoma survivor and a little eight-year-old girl who encouraged his fight despite her own battle with leukemia. It became his mission to make sure no one else had to suffer from this horrific cancer. In the midst of his last trial, the oncologist reported the heart-breaking news that the treatment was not affective in slowing the cancer that was now enveloping 90% of his body. He suggested that my dad return home to spend whatever time he had left with his family. When my dad learned that completing the trial may lead to FDA approval and a possible cure for other sufferers, he insisted on finishing the trial even though it would do nothing for him but take his precious time.

On August 16, 2018, my daddy was barely able to speak. I held his hand and willed strength into his frail body through my fingers. I could tell he was suffering but he would not leave me. I knew I had to give him permission to rest. With all the courage that my teenage heart could muster, I whispered, “Daddy, I’m going to be ok. I promise I will continue to fight for a cure. You can rest now.” He couldn’t speak, but I know he understood because a tear rolled down his face and with one last squeeze of my hand, he closed his eyes.

My dad was always my hero, but on November 21, 2018 my dad became a hero to millions of cancer sufferers. On this day, as a result of my dad’s participation in the clinical trials, the FDA approved the treatment for AML patients. It is believed to be the cutting-edge treatment for leukemia patients and may even lead to a cure.

My daddy did not live to hear the groundbreaking FDA news, but something tells me he is looking down now smiling knowingly. If I could relive that fateful day outside his hospital room, I would have an answer to break that deafening silence. Because now I know what I did not know at the time: My daddy WILL continue to help thousands of people suffering from leukemia. But his final contribution would be his best one yet! If I could go back in time, I would burst in that cold hospital room with this knowledge and I would yell, “Daddy, God didn’t take you out of the game, He just promoted you to MVP!”

In the moment that my daddy passed away, I felt as though he passed the baton to me. I will continue his fight against cancer. I immediately partnered with the Leukemia Society that stood with my family, to help fight for a cure for blood cancers. This organization fights tirelessly and fervently to provide emotional and financial support for cancer patients and their families through-out the country. Their partnership with the FDA, medical boards and pharmaceutical companies help provide life-sustaining services to patients who cannot afford them. Most importantly, the Leukemia Society made it possible for me to spend eight more months with my daddy and for this I will be forever grateful.