Recently, I saw that google has launched a Wikipedia-type series of articles written by self-appointed/annointed authorities on whatever. They are called "knols" which puts me in mind of a grassy hillock, not a "knowledge unit." Since I'm fond of naming things (I used to be a copywriter), I'm fussy about what things are called. A good title, for instance, can send me into a swoon. Ditto with names. Knol sounds lame to me, although no brilliant alternatives come to mind. knowgles? wislets?
I thought about writing a knol, briefly, but I'm not an expert in anything. Sure, I'm competent in a number of areas, and there are a few things I probably know more about than the average bear, but I'm more a Jill of All Trades. I could write about how to paint a room, cook an omelet, construct an essay, sew a pillow or curtains, plant a shrub, groom a bouvier de flandres, cut men's hair, keep houseplants alive, or play mah jongg. Yawn. Hey, what about leukemia? I know more about that than I'd like to, but honestly, I understand very little about the disease, which is incredibly complex. I do know that it torments people.
So, no knols from me.
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Adirondack Mountains, Feb. 2007
Tale of a Cord Blood Transplantee Who Relapses and Goes on to Have a Matched Unrelated-Donor Transplant
The Weight
Adirondack Mountains, Feb. 2007
ABOUT ME
In March 2006, I was diagnosed with a blood cancer called Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). Life as I knew it came to a crashing halt. After enduring a month in the hospital where I received intense chemotherapy, I was declared "in remission." I had three additional treatments and remained cancer-free until May 2007, when I relapsed.
My only shot at survival was to have a stem cell transplant. However, my brothers' immune markers didn't match mine, and an international search of bone marrow registries found no perfect matches. A transplant using the blood from two umbilical cords was recommended. I grasped at this straw in September 2007. It seemed to work.
This blog tells the story of my transplant and recovery, replete with outrageous slings and arrows. The expression "blood is thicker than water" has new meaning for me. I remained alive due to the blood of strangers, two of them, both male. Thanks guys.
The plot thickened when I relapsed 19 months into my new remission and had to go through the same rigamarole once more. This time, I received stem cells from a matched adult donor who was identified last go round but didn't fit into the necessary time frame. Charles Dickens could have fun with this, the stuff of pulp fiction.
I remain in remission 4 years later. My donor keeps leukemic cells in check but finds interesting ways to attack my body. Chronic graft versus host disease keeps me firmly entrenched in the medical world. And so it goes.
My only shot at survival was to have a stem cell transplant. However, my brothers' immune markers didn't match mine, and an international search of bone marrow registries found no perfect matches. A transplant using the blood from two umbilical cords was recommended. I grasped at this straw in September 2007. It seemed to work.
This blog tells the story of my transplant and recovery, replete with outrageous slings and arrows. The expression "blood is thicker than water" has new meaning for me. I remained alive due to the blood of strangers, two of them, both male. Thanks guys.
The plot thickened when I relapsed 19 months into my new remission and had to go through the same rigamarole once more. This time, I received stem cells from a matched adult donor who was identified last go round but didn't fit into the necessary time frame. Charles Dickens could have fun with this, the stuff of pulp fiction.
I remain in remission 4 years later. My donor keeps leukemic cells in check but finds interesting ways to attack my body. Chronic graft versus host disease keeps me firmly entrenched in the medical world. And so it goes.
1 comment:
Hey PJ
Funny list of things you could write an essay about. You probably could also write one about leukemia. Unfortunately, like most of us, you've learned about things you NEVER thought you'd know about. Who knew from chimerisms, BMBs, counts and all that stuff that now we live by?
Ronni
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