TULSA — September is blood cancer awareness month and we want to introduce you to an amazing young woman who's fighting for her life and winning.
In Health News 2 Use, we share her story to raise awareness of an illness that can often be pinpointed with a blood test.
A simple shopping trip changed Mallori Reed's life.
"Everytime I was trying on clothes, I realized I had a lymph node sticking out of my collarbone," Reed says.
That lump sent her straight to google.
"It said most likely lymphoma...which is a form of blood cancer and I thought, 'Oh my gosh! There is no way I could have cancer.' I felt great," Reed says.
Her doctor would confirm it was Hodgkin Lymphoma.
She turned to Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa.
Doctor Issam Alawin, Medical Oncologist at CTCA also found a large mass behind Mallori's sternum...terrifying news.
Reed says, "I have 2 little ones... And my wonderful husband and all I could think of was I want to be the mother they deserve and the wife he deserves."
Doctor Alawin prescribed six months of chemotherapy - every other week and involved her family every step of the way.
The disease that used to be a death sentence is now managed with chemotherapy and radiation.
Dr. Alawin says, "We are now looking at chemotherapy and medications that are less toxic so that when they live 20 and 30 years later they don't end up with lung issues or complications from the chemotherapy they had before."
Mallori had none of the usual symptoms:
- Fevers
- Weight loss
- Night sweats
- Extreme fatigue
- Bruising
- Mallori had some complications with chemo but after surgery to remove the remnants of the tumor, she got the good news.
"We were so blessed when we got confirmation from the pathology report that there was no more cancer found in my body," Reed says.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android and Kindle devices.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
