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Patient, Educator, and Volunteer

Person's Name: 
Stephen King

A PNH survivor for more than 25 years, Stephen King speaks about his life as a patient and an advocate in both formal and informal roles -- and offers advice for newly diagnosed PNH patients.

 “I’m an engineer with a problem-solving orientation,” says the medical software manager from Atlanta, Georgia. “After my diagnosis, I thought, now that you know what it is, let’s fix it. It took a little time to sink in that there was no quick fix, and I had to learn more about it.”

Early Diagnosis, Treatment and Emphasis on Self-Advocacy

Bone Marrow Disease(s): 
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A Rare Case of Aplastic Anemia Later in Life Won't Stop Me

Person's Name: 
Al Meyer

I grew up in Louisiana - born in New Orleans and raised in Lafayette. I joined the Army, and went to Seattle and worked at Madigan General Hospital where I met my wife. I was then sent to Vietnam. After I returned, I worked for a bank in Seattle for 16 years, becoming a vice president and manager. I helped finance an auto auction as part of this job, and as a result, I fell in love with the car businesses.  I was accepted for a Ford training program that lasted for two years at a Seattle Ford dealership.

Bone Marrow Disease(s): 
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Thankful to Be Here and Alive

Person's Name: 
Kendra Arvon

I was a very active 17-year-old when I got the news. It was October of 2005, the beginning of high school basketball season in my hometown of Beckley, West Virginia, when I became ill. I thought it was a really bad cold or even the flu, but I was used to being sick and fighting through it, so I didn’t think much about it. I started antibiotics while I continued going to school and playing basketball. I would start to feel better for a while, then BOOM, it would hit me like lightning again. I would take more antibiotics and continue my life as usual. I thought I was tough.

Bone Marrow Disease(s): 
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Aplastic Anemia Patient “Just Focused on Beating It”

Person's Name: 
Brittany Springer

In February of 2011 I was 22-years-old and attending Orange Coast College. One day I began to notice that I was bruising easily. My legs were covered in bruises by the time I went to my doctor.  The doctor told me I was probably anemic and run down due to my work and school schedule. She ran a regular CBC blood test. 

Bone Marrow Disease(s): 
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Jim Westmoreland’s Path to a Clinical Trial

Person's Name: 
Jim Westmoreland

James Westmoreland, age 78, of Cookeville, Tennessee, is a retired Associate Vice President for Information Technology Services from Tennessee Technological University. Here, he recounts his story of how his decision to attend a local blood drive eventually led to his participation in Phase 1 of a

Bone Marrow Disease(s): 
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Retired MDS Patient Living Life to the Fullest Since Transplant

Person's Name: 
Kathryn Bauer

I retired from Dun & Bradstreet, after 35 years of working all over the US and Europe as a business analyst and Vice President of Operations and Data Acquisition.  I was living the life I had always aspired to -- traveling, volunteering for a number of non-profit organizations, taking the occasional consulting job, enjoying a few classes at the local college, and just having fun.

Bone Marrow Disease(s): 
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