Leah's Story

Leukemia

My name is Leah Davis. My advice to people who are newly diagnosed with Leukemia is to have hope. Being given a diagnosis of cancer is not a death sentence.

I was told that not only was I dealing with Leukemia, I also had ulcers. And what I'd been told was that the ulcers in my body, they were coming from the fact that my blood cells weren't able to properly fight. And then I was also told, "We believe you have a blood clot in your heart," and at that time that's when it became overwhelming and I broke down. And I remember I was crying on the shoulder of one of the nurses, and she told me it was gonna be OK. And within three days I was on chemotherapy for seven days, 24 hours a day.

After the chemotherapy treatment, I received another bone marrow biopsy and I was told that I had gotten the best possible results, that's what the doctor said. She was excited, she was waving the results and she said, "You are in complete remission." What was important for me also was talking to the social worker, because even after I left the hospital, there were steps that she advised me to take concerning my insurance. Had I not taken that, I would not have insurance. I would have, who knows, maybe six-figure doctors bills right now.

So, all of the help that I got from Emory, from the doctors to the nurses to the social workers, it was all comprehensive, and I really felt like I was their primary concern. It wasn't about an organization that wanted to make money. They care about the patient and I know that they cared about me. I don't know, it helped me. I don't know if I would be here if I had gone somewhere else.