Leslie's Story
Stalled ambitions
Leslie Lucio, like most teenagers, had hopes and dreams of moving to the big city to attend college. She packed up and headed to San Antonio from Brownsville to pursue her goals. Four months into her journey, Lucio’s ambitions stalled when she was diagnosed with stage IV non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Lucio says, unlike many, her first reaction wasn’t fear; instead her focus shifted to getting better. “I just wanted it to be over with,” recalls Lucio. “I figured after six months of chemotherapy I would be cured.”
Three weeks after completing her therapy, the symptoms of swollen lymph nodes and fever returned.
Only a Year to Live
Determined to beat the sickness, she underwent an autologous transplant but the procedure did not work. Running out of alternative procedures and time, Leslie was referred to Dr. Paul Shaughnessy, where she underwent more chemotherapy and radiation treatments. “I never cried in front of a doctor until I met Dr. Shaughnessy,” says Lucio. “After the treatment did not work, he told me straight out that I would have only a year to live if they did not find a bone marrow match.”
Lucio received blood and platelets regularly as she waited to find a match, a process that would be difficult due to her rare antigens and Hispanic ethnicity.
A Match is Found
She finally received the news she hoped for: a match had been found in cord blood. At the time, Leslie had never heard of a cord blood transplant. “I’ve been through so much, but I am here now because of cord blood,” says Lucio.
Leslie encourages all expectant mothers to donate their cord blood. “The doctors gave me very little chance to live, but a donation is worth it to save someone’s life. I am a young person and it saddens me still that I see other young sick people. I know what they are going through because you see your friends and you can not do the things they are doing.”
Leslie is back pursuing her dreams with her new immune system, living cancer free.
“I have the rest of my life in front of me,” says Lucio.
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