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.
“I never even had a cavity before I was diagnosed with PNH, plenty of denial later, I now live my life with PNH in it and don’t let PNH run my life!”
I lead an ordinary life, a healthy life. My name is Alani and this is my story.
I last gave blood in December 2004. When I went again in March 2005, I was informed that I couldn't give and actually really needed a transfusion.
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.
2015 will mark the 17th anniversary of my victory over myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). An unrelated-donor bone marrow transplant saved my life and cured me of the disease in 1998.
The Diagnosis
