I am a graphic designer, photographer, and had just graduated from nursing school at San Francisco State University. I am happily married for nearly three years to my husband with whom I've been in a loving relationship for more than ten years. Though I had to take a year off from nursing school for inpatient intense chemotherapy treatments, I got back on track and graduated in May of 2015 with a magna cum laude scholastic distinction =).

My illness appeared out of nowhere in the summer of 2013. I have always been the most health-conscious in my family: working out and eating healthily regularly. I had just completed three semesters in nursing school and six semesters of nursing school prerequisite courses. In the beginning of my summer semester break in 2013, my car of ten years broke down all of a sudden during my most financially challenged moment due to the fact that I was in school full-time and could only hold a part-time job at the time. I thought that was one of the most difficult life challenges I've had yet following being laid off from my full-time job in 2008 (which convinced me to make a career-change and take up nursing in a university) and the loss of the house I bought with my family. The next thing I remember following this "tragic" event was I had flu-like symptoms for a week...in the middle of summer! It was then accompanied by a weird uncomfortable sensation deep within my lower abdomen which was only worsened everytime I sat down. I didn't think much of any of these symptoms as my flu-like symptoms finally broke while my lower abdominal discomfort lingered. In the next few months, this lower abdominal discomfort had only gotten worse accompanied with recurrent low-grade fevers, increased heart rate, and weight-loss.

After trying to make an appointment in a low-income county clinic for a month, I was finally called in for a check-up where I was misdiagnosed with prostatitis. I was prescribed antibiotics which did not help my symptoms. With my recurrent fevers and elevating tachycardia, I went to a county hospital's emergency department in fear of a septic shock. The admitting nurse laughed at me for coming in with these "not-so-serious" symptoms, but she admitted me in the E.R. anyway.

After a battery of uncomfortable tests, the doctors found an abscess deep within my pelvis. I was admitted for almost three weeks wherein I had undergone surgery to insert a catheter into the abscess to drain it. The daily drainage of the abscess with normal saline and thrombolytic medications was one of the most painful interventions I've ever experienced in my life!

After being discharged for a week, during my check-up, they discovered that the abscess had come back so I was admitted again for almost a month. During this month of hospital admission, while my abscess was being drained for the second time, I started to have recurrent low-grade fevers again and heavy night-sweats. During the last week of this admission, I felt lymph nodes all over my body had started to swell which convinced the doctors to perform a biopsy on one of them. I was then diagnosed with intermediate stage acute lymphoblastic lymphoma/leukemia.

While I was waiting for the first of many intensive and long chemotherapy treatments to start, my abscess had started to grow to the point that it would impede on my urination and bowel movements. My spleen had also started to swell that would cause me to feel full after only a few bites of food. Right after my first chemo treatment, however, my abscess and swollen lymph nodes and spleen had improved as if almost miraculously. I was so relieved that I thought it was worth the intense tumor lysis syndrome I experienced right after the first chemo treatment.

For a year, I had been admitted 10 times in the hospital for a month or weeks at a time to receive the planned chemotherapies. Each chemotherapy was intensive enough that it was required that I get a PICC line each time I was admitted inpatiently.

After completing the induction and consolidation phases of my treatment in a year, I was finally considered on remission confirmed by a bone marrow biopsy, regular CBC checks, and a PET scan! I had returned to nursing school where I had left it off. For one semester, I felt like I could conquer the world even though I was on many medications including two types of oral chemo drugs and several prophylactics for the two and half year maintenance phase of my treatment.

Then onto my last semester in nursing school in January of 2015! Unfortunately, I started to have coughs that were, at times, streaked with blood. I started to experience recurrent fevers as well and an overall feeling of malaise and fatigue. There were moments that I was so lightheaded and weak that I almost had syncopal episodes. Halfway into my next monthly checkup with my oncologist, I finally decided to head back to the emergency room to get to the bottom of these new recurrent symptoms.

I was then admitted in the hospital under the care of the same amazing team of doctors and nurses. We were trying to confirm whether the sudden and persistent drops in my red blood cell, white blood cell, and platelet counts were caused by my oral maintenance chemo meds...or a recurrence. I had several platelet transfusions, one red blood cell transfusion, several neupogen shots, and a number of IV antibiotics. I also had another bone marrow biopsy to rule out a recurrence or a development of a new form of cancer.

Back at nursing school, while I was precepting with an amazing working registered nurse as part of my graduation requirements, I had my first seizure at the nurses' station. After further assessments and diagnostic tests, it was confirmed that my cancer has recurred in my central nervous system more in the form of leukemia cells.

After finally graduating from nursing school, I had to undergo aggressive radiation treatments, more chemotherapies, and a stem cell transplant at UCSF. My sister had been found to be an excellent donor for me.

I am now in the recovery period from the stem cell transplant. This treatment had been the most challenging one I had gone through yet, physically and psychologically. I'll be receiving the last of five intrathecal Depocyt injection into my spine in a few weeks since the transplant. My Hickman central catheter was just removed recently after being with it since the transplant. I'll be receiving immunizations soon that infants and toddlers get as my immune system is currently as fragile as that of a baby's. My healthcare team and I are also currently in talks about testosterone replacement therapy as my testosterone levels have completely dropped due to having a female donor and a preventative testicular radiation.

Through all these, I have found the arts to be a very useful mode of expressing my thoughts and feelings especially during my low moments. No matter the amount of challenges I've faced, I still see life as beautiful. Life is art.