She prayed for death after a long and hard battle with leukemia. But seeing her parents by her bedside renewed her will to live.
“Kung masasaktan sila, lalaban na lang ako. (If they will suffer [if I die], then I will fight [to live])”, she recalled as she narrated her story on Facebook.
It was on June 15, 2014 when Ledi Aml got a call from her doctor confirming what they had feared for weeks. It was Father’s Day and Ledi had the saddest news for her dad–she had leukemia.
What followed was a nightmare of physical pain and struggles for Ledi and her parents.
Ledi endured multiple high dose chemotherapy sessions, beginning in August 2014. But because her cancer was too aggressive, it was back with a vengeance in a matter of weeks.
Then begun a second round of chemo in January 2015. The chemo medications were so strong that she lost all her hair a second time, and she got the shock of her life when her urine turned a blue-green color.
There were numerous catheter insertions, and blood transfusions to replace the hemoglobin and platelets she lost after chemo.
Bone marrow biopsies were also done, where a hole is drilled into the bone to collect blood and tissue samples and check for cancer cells.
Another round of chemo was done in February 2015 to prepare her for a Double Cord Stem Cell Transplant, a procedure where stem cells from two umbilical cords of newborn babies are combined to create a 100% match.
Prior to the transplant, Ledi also had to undergo full body radiation therapy.
On February 25, 2015, Ledi received her new stem cells which traveled to her bone marrow and begun the production of new blood.
Read on to find out how Leni responded to the transplant
More pain after the transplant
The transplant, however, gave birth to a host of other problems. Ledi suffered anew from side effects of the transplant and post-transplant medications.
There were seizures, confusion, paralysis that lasted 10 days, diarrhea, skin disease, and wounds in her lungs, esophagus, and stomach.
Ledi emerged from her battle victorious–and with a new set of fingerprints, DNA, and blood type!
There were moments of depression, but for the most part, Leni faced her battle with courage and hope.
For Ledi, her battle with cancer is a “happy battle”, perhaps because the ordeal taught her to treasure life and love her parents more.
Click next to find out how Leni is doing today, and to read her touching message to her parents
A daughter’s gratitude
Today, Ledi is happy to be cancer free, though still recovering from the ravages of the disease on her body and on her finances.
But most of all, Ledi is grateful for her parents, who never left her side.
“Ginawa mo lahat, kahit tulog ka, gigising ka pag naririnig mo nako na nagsusuka o tumatayo sa kama,” Ledi wrote in a message for her father, whom she fondly calls “Taks”.
(“You did everything, even when you were asleep, you would wake up as soon as you heard me vomiting or getting out of bed.”)
“Nung paralyze ako ikaw pa nagtataas ng short ko pag nagbabanyo ako. Every hour ginigising kita para ireposition ako sa kama,” she continued.
(When I was paralyzed, you helped me with my shorts when I had to go to the bathroom. I woke you up every hour to reposition me on my bed.”)
“Napansin ko nagkakasakit kana, pag sinasabi ko na dahil sa puyat at pagod mo sa akin sasabihin mo hindi. Di ka nagsawang samahan ako maglakad para bumalik ang lakas ko,” she also said.
(“I noticed that you were getting sick, but when I asked you if it was because of fatigue and lack of sleep because of me, you said no. You never tired of walking with me to get my strength back.”)
Ledi also apologized to her mother, whom she calls “Buks”, for all the heartache she caused in the past, and for leaving her mom alone at home just to get drunk with friends.
Ledi expressed her gratitude for the way her mother took care of her during her battle with cancer, how her mother ran to her side to help her when Ledi was too weak to even stand, bathed her and washed her, and carried and fed her when she was paralyzed.
“I saw everything mom..Thank you mom for holding me throughout my battle,” Ledi wrote.
“Mama you are my everything, my one and only, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH,” Ledi also said.
Read: Newlywed found out about her cancer when husband hugged her
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ to stay up-to-date on the latest from theAsianparent.com Philippines!
