Elise Smith

I love riding roller coasters. They are one of my favorite things. Luckily for me, my husband doesn’t like them and offers to stay with the kids while I sneak in a ride (or two!). In July 2024, I got to ride a different kind of rollercoaster; one that I never wanted to embark on. It was a Friday night around 11:00pm when the doctor confirmed my diagnosis: acute myeloid leukemia. He warned me that the next few months would be the rollercoaster ride of a lifetime, but that his team would guide me through it all. Turns out, he was right!

I spent one month in the hospital going through treatments. That month was challenging for our family as I couldn’t see the kids. It’s hard to explain to a 6- and 4-year-old why they can’t see their mom. Thankfully, we were able to video chat every day, although sometimes I wondered if that made it better or worse for them.

I got out of the hospital with a few weeks left of summer! I finally got to feel the sunshine in real time and not just through a window. What a feeling! I went through two more rounds of chemotherapy and a few more bone marrow biopsies before finding out, in November 2024, that I was cancer free. The truth is, I wouldn’t have been able to say those words – ‘cancer free’ – if it wasn’t for the research and evolution of blood cancers in the last 5-10 years. Findings from research has allowed my medical team to determine that I had ‘favorable leukemia’ which means that a specific chemotherapy treatment can lead to a cure for that condition. I suddenly realized the importance of cancer research and the impact it can have on saving a life.

I wanted to give back to the leukemia community, so in the fall of 2024, I gathered some friends and family and organized a fundraising initiative to create awareness and raise funds for blood cancer research. With the amazing support from LLSC, we pulled it off and raised over $22,000!

I hope that my journey will continue to inspire those facing this terrible disease. It can be a long and worrisome process – I understand. I am currently on a two-year medication chemotherapy program to prevent a relapse. That said, I am hopeful that continued research will improve the odds for many patients like myself diagnosed with leukemia. I look forward to continuing to work with LLSC and to share my story with the hope of making a difference in the lives of other cancer patients riding this rollercoaster.