With Hemolytic Anemia, what is a girl to do? Most people think an iron supplement will fix what ails me, if only it were that simple. I am not iron deficient. My body is making more than enough red blood cells, the problem is, they are dying off too fast which is causing me to not have enough oxygen in my blood to supply my organs efficiently. The dead red blood cells appear to be collecting in my spleen, causing it to be enlarged. What does all this mean? I have no idea. My doctors are stumped. My Oncologist/hematologist has shared all my reports with her colleagues at Mass General, they too are baffled at the highs and lows of my blood work and the results of my bone marrow biopsy. These results are just not adding up and they are not telling a clear picture. The good news is that I don't have an obvious cancer such as Hodgkins or non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. No obvious signs of Leukemia although the rarer leukemias haven't been completely ruled out yet. Next test is scheduled for...

  Anyone who knows me, knows I don’t have the best memory, unlike my sister Mary Jane who could probably tell you what outfit I was wearing on the night I fell asleep at the table when Mom said we couldn’t leave the table until we finished our American chop suey. However, when I think about my mother I do have quite a few memories. As a mother, she wasn’t without fault. Many of her ways in child rearing were questionable but I know now it’s because as Roman’s 3:23 tells us, “ For  all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. I think it is human nature to remember negative things or things that caused us pain, but I choose to think of the good parts of my mom and there were many. I remember how hard she worked to provide for our family and because of her example, I became the same. There aren’t enough words to express how grateful I am that she exposed me to God at a young age. The love and faith that has grown in me is what gets me through days like today. With a famil...