Debbie had been feeling ‘off’ for many years, and the doctors were unable to find anything wrong with her. She had been experiencing head fog with some occasional positional vertigo and headaches along with having extreme exhaustion. Simple tasks began to take a toll and were no longer done with ease. This had been going on for years and she hadn’t had any sustained success with other providers (medical or specialists such as rheumatologist, neurologist, physical therapy, chiropractic, etc). Debbie’s symptoms continued to become more heightened and problematic. She was at a point where she wasn’t able to drive long distances and it was significantly affecting her work and home life.

In July 2019, a friend recommended that she see an integrative medical professional to see if he could find anything. She was under his care for a few months seeking answers and relief when some additional blood tests were run. It was at that point in April 2020 she was referred to a hematologist/oncologist and diagnosed with Pancytopenia (a medical condition characterized by low levels of all three types of blood cells: red, white, and platelets. This condition can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, increased risk of infections, and easy bruising or bleeding). Debbie was closely monitored with frequent lab checks and some additional interventions came in to play when she became blood-transfusion dependent in August 2022. It was at this time Debbie agreed to being referred to the Hematology Department at Mayo Clinics in Rochester, MN.

In October 2022 Debbie was diagnosed through Mayo Clinic Rochester with a rare blood cancer called Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). MDS is a group of cancers that affect the bone marrow, causing it to produce abnormal blood cells. These abnormal cells don't mature properly and may die prematurely, leading to a shortage of healthy blood cells in the body. When there are fewer healthy blood cells, infection, anemia, or easy bleeding may occur. MDS can be a slow-growing cancer, and some individuals may live for years with MDS and require little to no treatment. However, MDS can also progress to a more aggressive form of cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML). She began chemotherapy treatments with her local oncology office and towards the end of December 2022, she no longer required blood transfusions. The treatment was doing what it was supposed to do and her numbers started bouncing back.

Debbie has been working with doctors locally as well as through Mayo to manage her MDS with blood transfusions and chemotherapy which allowed her to be in remission for almost 2 ½ years. Unfortunately, a recent bone marrow biopsy (her 8th one) in early June, reflected that her ‘blasts’ (very immature blood cells located in the bone marrow and the blood) had increased from 5% in February (5% and lower considered remission) to 17% in June. (anything 20% and above is considered AML - acute myeloid leukemia).

Now that she is no longer in remission, they are moving quickly to get her in for some higher-dose chemo treatments and then moving to transplant as early as Jul 31st. Her new chemo treatment started on June 17, 2025; in-patient time is expected for the first 7 days, and then move straight into pre-transplant evaluations/education. A repeat bone-marrow biopsy is scheduled for July 14th to verify the treatment is working. Based on those test results, Debbie will either move directly to transplant, proceed with another 28-day cycle of treatment, or they may try another form of treatment to bring her back to remission. If the transplant is a go, then into the high-level chemotherapy to remove her current immune system and prepare for the introduction of the donor stem cells. The transplant team currently has her scheduled to receive the donor cells on July 31st.

Debbie will need to be in the hospital/near the hospital in Rochester for a minimum of 100 days. The care will be a combination of in-patient and outpatient. The costs will be extreme and what insurance will cover will only be revealed fully as time goes on. All of this being said, there will be multiple trips up to Rochester (Mayo Clinic), which is about a 4-1/2 drive each way, lots of extended hotel stays, a bunch of expensive prescriptions and other expenses related to keeping up with 2 households for the next 4 months or so. Visits back to Mayo will be frequent during the 1st year post-transplant. Her husband will not be able to work very much during all of the appointments leading up to the transplant, plus the first 6-12 weeks after the transplant so that he can be Debbie’s 24/7 caregiver while her body accepts the engraftment of donor cells and her immune system develops.

This stem cell transplant is the only possible cure for this disease and can be met with all sorts of hurdles and complications. Debbie and Dan pray that this is her cure and it goes as smoothly as possible! She is ready to get back to living a full and productive life enjoying spending time with their kids and five grandkids, walking along the river and participating in 5k’s, mowing the lawn, and working in her flower beds.