April 12, 2005
Genesis Voices Against Cancer
Davenport, IA – LaDonna Anderson’s story of leukemia survival is forceful and inspirational. Of three patients receiving treatment for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia at Genesis Medical Center in the winter of 2001, she is the lone survivor.
She measures her life now in days and milestones... another birthday, a grandchild’s birthday... and sometimes wrestles with survivor guilt. Survivor guilt is common for those who face a harsh prognosis but somehow find themselves among the low percentage who survive against the odds.
She won’t be considered to be a survivor until she is five years free of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), but most relapses occur in the first two years after diagnosis. LaDonna has survived that period. Only twenty to thirty percent of patients with AML do survive five years, according to Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
LaDonna Anderson, and her husband, Genesis Health Group physician Dr. Gary Anderson, D.O., joined the families of cancer survivors from all over the country recently for the annual One Voice Against Cancer day in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The Andersons also appeared in a video made for the One Voice Against Cancer effort.
One Voice Against Cancer is an effort to encourage Congressmen to support cancer-related issues.
Mrs. Anderson, who received her treatment from Genesis Medical Center under the direction of Dr. Costas Constantinou, M.D., credits several factors for her survival. “I got the latest, most aggressive chemotherapy treatment available from Genesis. I had great support from my family and the hospital staff was fantastic. But without the 80 units of blood I received, I would not have survived,’’ she said.
Just months after her chemotherapy treatment ended, she became a volunteer for the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center. She can’t give blood herself because of her medical history, but she helps in many other ways.
“I think it is one way that I can give back. When you have an blood cancer, you realize how important blood banks are.’’
Prior to beginning treatment, Dr. Anderson researched what treatment was available for AML throughout the country. “We were looking at Washington state and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore because we had family in both states, but what we found out was that the most aggressive treatment for the disease was available from Genesis. We were told that we wouldn’t find a better treatment than what was available here.’’
Being able to receive treatment from Genesis allowed the Andersons to not be uprooted. “I think for the first month of my treatment Gary stayed with me every night but the first one. He had a lot of support from the doctors in the practice that allowed him to be with me,’’ Mrs. Anderson said. “If there is something good that comes out of going through a life-threatening disease, it is the support you receive not just from family and people you know, but from complete strangers.’’
LaDonna Anderson pays back that support as a First Connection volunteer for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She talks with individuals and families that have just received a diagnosis of a blood cancer.
She started as a blood center volunteer so soon after her treatment that her identification badge photo still shows her with only a stubble of hair after she lost her hair during treatment. “I’ve thought about having a new photo shot but I think the photo I have can help me explain how important it is to give blood for others.’’
