By Colleen Morley-Grabowski, DNP, RN, CCM, CMAC, CMCN, ACM-RN, FCM
September marks the beginning of Blood Cancer Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the various types of blood cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Every 3 minutes, someone in the United States is diagnosed with blood cancer. The statistics are staggering, and the impact of these diseases is profound.
My husband’s diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia came at 0908 on March 14, 2024. Sitting in the doctor’s office for a follow-up visit after he was discharged from the hospital for what we thought at the time was an unrelated issue. Time stood still as we heard these words from the physician…the case manager in me was trying to hold it together, asking those incredibly pertinent questions (treatment options, best places to get care, what’s the plan?). The non-case manager side of me did not react that calmly (but I was thankfully able to maintain my case manager façade). Inside, I was numb, in shock, scared, angry, horrified that this person (my person!) had just been handed this news…We were getting married that afternoon, after all! How did we go from a fabulous day to a horrible day in the space of 1 minute?
Background: My husband is an outdoorsman who likes fishing, hiking, and camping. The poster child for “Mr. Healthy Guy.” The only health issues he had were a motorcycle accident at age 27, a fall from a roof and hip surgery three years ago, and a couple of broken ribs from an accident last year. But he smoked for over 30 years and as a commercial artist, had been exposed to all sorts of chemicals over the past 40 years +, so there were some risk factors.
The physician referred us to 2 different programs for AML management. The plan was the same at both: chemotherapy induction to force a remission and a future stem cell transplant. After selecting a program, he was admitted for a 39-day length of stay for 2 rounds of chemo and daily monitoring. More chemo follows as an outpatient with the goal of the transplant in Fall 2024.
In the meantime, every family member has been tested as a potential donor, and we search for the best match possible. The testing is non-invasive by cheek swab; the donation can be done by marrow or peripheral stem cell donation. As the transplantologist tells me, “We’ve come a long way in transplant science.”
Where we are now: He’s completed the June round of chemo (1 week/month of outpatient infusions), and we were so incredibly fortunate to find a perfect 10/10 unrelated donor match (in Poland!!). He underwent his Stem Cell Transplant on 7/29/24 and responded so well that he was discharged home on day 27 (when we were told to anticipate minimally 40 days in the hospital post-transplant. Excellent for us as he doesn’t do confinement or isolation well, as evidenced by the 1st hospital stay. He is home now; each day is different: good days, not-so-good days, bad days…it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
The reason I wrote this is Blood Cancer Awareness Month; be truly aware of the impact that you can have. More than being educated on blood cancers and their treatment, one should consider getting tested and joining the Registry at bethematch.org. If it wasn’t for that anonymous donor in Poland.
Remember, every 3 minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer.
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Bio: Dr. Colleen Morley-Grabowski, DNP, RN, CCM, CMAC, CMCN, ACM-RN, FCM is the Associate Chief Clinical Operations Officer, Care Continuum for University of Illinois Health System and the Immediate Past-President of the Case Management Society of America National Board of Directors. She has held positions in acute care as Director of Case Management at several acute care facilities and managed care entities in Illinois, overseeing Utilization Review, Case Management and Social Services for over 14 years; piloting quality improvement initiatives focused on readmission reduction, care coordination through better communication and population health management. Her current passion is in the area of improving health literacy. She is the recipient of the CMSA Foundation Practice Improvement Award (2020) and ANA Illinois Practice Improvement Award (2020) for her work in this area. Dr. Morley also received the AAMCN Managed Care Nurse Leader of the Year in 2010 and the CMSA Fellow of Case Management designation in 2022. Her 1st book, “A Practical Guide to Acute Care Case Management”, published by Blue Bayou Press was released in February, 2022. Dr. Morley has over 20 years of nursing experience. Her clinical specialties include Med/Surg, Oncology and Pediatric Nursing. She received her ADN at South Suburban College in South Holland, IL; BSN at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, FL, MSN from Norwich University in Northfield, VT and her DNP at Chamberlain College of Nursing.