Tia Bee Stokes, the Most cancers Dancer, Shares Her Leukemia Story

As advised to Nicole Audrey Spector

Once I found dance on the age of 10, I fell instantly in love with it and knew that I needed to be knowledgeable dancer. My household supported my ambitions and it was an extremely proud second after I landed my first job — as a backup dancer for Beyoncé on the Billboard Music Awards. I used to be simply 17. A yr beforehand I’d been advised that I’d ultimately have leukemia.

I’d been advised in a letter from the American Purple Cross. It arrived within the mail shortly after I’d donated blood for the primary time. The letter detailed a troubling discovering in my blood cell depend (I can’t recall the specifics) and acknowledged that I may now not donate blood as a result of within the subsequent 10 to fifteen years, I might develop leukemia.

My mother and father panicked once they learn the letter and took me in for blood work. Every little thing seemed nice. The physician advised us that the leukemia prediction was a false discovering, one that always happens within the blood work of individuals of Polynesian descent (I’m Hawaiian Samoan). I used to be completely wholesome, the physician assured us, and we have been despatched on our manner.

And I used to be completely wholesome. Till, on the age of 34, I wasn’t.

The signs got here on steadily, in waves. First, it was a cough that wouldn’t stop. Then a relentless sore throat. Then lack of urge for food, nausea, throbbing complications, vicious evening sweats and unintended weight reduction.

My signs began after I was just a few months out from giving delivery to my fifth youngster. At first I believed it was all sparked by postpartum hormonal adjustments. Once I worsened, I figured I’d gotten a nasty flu on high of all of it.

It was 2020. The world was on lockdown amid the Covid pandemic. Given my record of persistent flu-like signs it appeared possible that I had Covid. However I examined damaging. My well being continued to say no. By the point I used to be six-and-half months postpartum I used to be having bother respiration and will barely end a sentence.

A superb pal of mine who’s a nurse practitioner was decided to resolve what was occurring with me. He did a whole blood depend (CBC), a blood check that reveals the numbers of cells within the blood together with pink blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. The check revealed I had mainly no pink blood cells and a really excessive depend of white blood cells. It was no surprise I used to be in horrible form.

I used to be rushed to the hospital the place I used to be recognized with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive blood and bone marrow most cancers. There was no time to replicate on the analysis or course of what was taking place. I used to be in essential situation and wanted to be admitted and begin chemotherapy instantly.

Being torn away from my youngsters (all beneath the age of 10) was practically insufferable. It was particularly heartbreaking to half from my daughter, who was barely seven months outdated. Due to Covid protocol, no person was allowed into the hospital with me. It was all terribly traumatic not just for me however for my household.

My remedy kicked off with “pink satan chemo,” which is as harsh because it sounds. As a result of my remedy was so intense and will doubtlessly trigger severe unwanted effects, together with lack of nice motor expertise and even demise, I needed to be monitored across the clock and couldn’t go away the hospital for 31 days. I spent more often than not in whole solitude.

And but I wasn’t utterly alone. I felt God’s presence throughout and inside me. I leaned closely on his grace and love to provide me energy. My religion received me by way of the times, however I additionally discovered inspiration and braveness by connecting with the surface world on social media.

Covid was wreaking havoc all over the place, and it was a daunting and isolating time for everybody, not simply me. I needed to carry mild and optimistic power to the scenario in no matter manner attainable. So, regardless of at instances being actually unable to hold myself to the lavatory, I did what I used to be born to do: I danced.

On daily basis I recorded movies on my cellphone of myself dancing whereas hooked as much as an IV. I posted my movies on TikTok together with updates on my situation and heartfelt messages sharing God’s infinite love. Typically hospital employees, lined head to toe in PPE, joined me in my dance strikes.

Although I used to be lined in sores and aching in each attainable manner, dancing gave me pleasure. And the enjoyment was contagious. My TikTok movies went viral and I turned generally known as the “most cancers dancer.”

I believe a part of why my dance movies took off is as a result of in them, I didn’t shrink back from the grim fact of what I used to be going by way of. I needed to put all of it on the market: the nice, the dangerous and the terrifying — and there was plenty of terrifying stuff. It’s no exaggeration to say I used to be dying. The medical doctors’ unique plan for me to undergo six rounds of aggressive chemo was referred to as off when, after spherical two, my physique began shutting down.

The one manner I might survive was by receiving a bone marrow transplant. Fortuitously my brother was a 100% donor match. However this can be a very severe surgical procedure, and I wanted to be wholesome sufficient to endure the transplant surgical procedure. For some time, I wasn’t. I received Covid, which then led to acute kidney failure and pneumonia.

Miraculously, I survived all of it and had a profitable bone marrow transplant close to the top of 2020. 100 days later, I used to be declared in remission and was in a position to go dwelling for good, somewhat than only a go to.

Getting again within the groove of my life was difficult. Once I went into the hospital, my daughter was an toddler. Out of the blue she was a toddler. We’d missed out on a lot collectively and for some time she didn’t actually acknowledge me as her mother. For the primary time in my life I skilled anxiousness.

My husband was my rock. He and God received me by way of these days, as did letting go of the particular person I was. The outdated Tia was gone. And that was okay. Actually, it was a blessing. I hadn’t been a nasty particular person previous to my analysis, however I used to be impatient and obsessive about getting from one huge purpose to the following. I might get caught up occupied with the longer term, as if the current day wasn’t a miracle in itself.

Most cancers put every thing into perspective for me. I now genuinely see day-after-day — each second — as a present from God. I’ve realized to please in issues that used to get on my nerves, like choosing up after children and doing the laundry. How fortunate I’m to be a mother and to have the ability to do these mundane on a regular basis duties!

I’m so grateful to have the ability to say that I stay cancer-free. I’m as passionate as ever about utilizing my time right here to unfold each little bit of God’s mild that I can and, for me, meaning to maintain dancing. But it surely additionally means to maintain sharing about my journey with acute myeloid leukemia within the hopes of serving to others.

I inform my story at this time partly as a result of I need different ladies to know the significance of CBC blood exams. A CBC is commonly included in annual physicals, however not at all times. Be sure that to ask for a CBC subsequent time you’re getting a checkup or experiencing any signs. It’d simply preserve you dancing.

This academic useful resource was created with help by an academic grant from Johnson & Johnson and Servier.

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