Cindy H.

My recommendation for those dealing with GVHD is to have faith, stay positive, and be patient - allow time for healing to occur.

Tell us how GVHD is affecting your life. 
I am very blessed to be almost five years post-transplant. For four years I was treated for several types of GVHD that affected my eyes, mouth, kidneys, and other organs. Different attempts were made to taper me off anti-rejection medications, but GVHD would flare again. A couple months ago I was able to stop the last med and I am doing well.

The most debilitating issue was with my eyes, necessitating special eye drops made from my blood serum. With those drops, and enough time, my dry eyes eventually improved so much that I now rarely have to use any eye drops. That was an amazing improvement after a couple years of pain and impaired vision. GVHD of my mouth caused a distaste for most foods for a year, resulting in a 20-pound weight loss. Other issues included DVTs, pulmonary embolisms, exhaustion from anemia, pneumonia, and more.

What is your message of hope? What inspires you to continue the fight against GVHD?
My recommendation for those dealing with GVHD is to have faith, stay positive, and be patient - allow time for healing to occur. I am very fortunate to have my husband, Dave, who helped me through all of this and encouraged me to have a positive attitude to facilitate healing. I am thankful for other family and friends who also helped me through this experience, along with gifted medical professionals.

I am definitely a wimp when it comes to physical discomfort, and I am also a worrier. I have dealt with the challenges of AML and GVHD. If I can do it, I believe you can too!