Because of you, I am healthy

I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia at the age of 20. For me, the hardest part about hearing ‘you have cancer’ was having to deal with the thought that I might have to sacrifice important moments in my life because of my diagnosis.

As a part of my cancer treatment, I underwent a lifesaving stem cell transplant and had to spend more than 100 days in the hospital. On the two-year anniversary of my procedure, I visited my care team at Dana-Farber to celebrate and reflect on all the important moments that have happened over the last few years.  

Those moments include graduating from Amherst College with a degree in Economics & Mathematics and spending the summer teaching 7th grade math to students from the Boston Public Schools. I also moved to New York City, where I currently work as a Research Analyst.

I was able to celebrate with my brother when he became engaged to his high school sweetheart. I traveled with my parents to Colorado, spent time at the beach, and played baseball at Fenway Park with the Jimmy Fund. 

All these moments were made possible with the help of my care team and the generous donors that support Dana-Farber’s mission. Donors who give money that allow Dana-Farber to execute its extraordinary care, and donors, like the ones at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center, who gave blood donations to help save my life. I was even able to meet and thank some of my blood donors for their generosity this year too.

Thanks to my care team at Dana-Farber, my health continues to improve and I am able to experience all the things in life that I feared I would need to sacrifice.

I feel like I got my life back.

Casey, 23 
A Dana-Farber patient