Share Your MDS Story

I am a nurse practitioner and researcher. For 32 years, I have worked as an oncology nurse practitioner, focused on the care of patients with cancers involving the bone marrow. As a student nurse, I took care of a young patient with acute myeloid leukemia. I was struck by his kindness and willingness to share his experience with a nursing student. I was drawn to the field by this encounter and have never looked back. I cherish those personal encounters with patients and their families- helping navigate the complex terms and uncertain, uncharted territories for most of them.  After becoming a nurse practitioner, I entered the stem cell transplant world and have continued working with myelodysplastic syndromes, acute myelogenous leukemia, aplastic anemia, and other hematologic malignancies. I love research and have been involved in many studies that were a "home run" and led to the approval of medications that are commonly used today. My research is now focused on helping patients and their families make treatment decisions and understand the symptoms they can anticipate as they venture into new treatments.