Our Inspiration

Sandy Richton

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 13:39:40 -0500

In late 1998, Sandy was fifty years old and started to bruise, lose weight and experience hot flashes. She took several blood tests, went through a few CT scans and eventually had a bone marrow biopsy. She was diagnosed with CLL, a type of Leukemia that is commonly found in older men, when these results came back.

She worked as a gymnastics instructor at the Framingham YMCA since the early 1970s. Thankfully this diagnosis did not require her to endure immediate treatment and her CLL was monitored through blood tests. Not only was she able to continue to work at the YMCA, but she was also able to work as a pre-school gym teacher at Framingham Center Nursery School. However, in the early summer of 2000, she had started to develop other symptoms including enlarged lymph nodes in her neck and abdominal area, night sweats and increased blood counts. She needed to start treatment at this point.

Over the next year my mother bravely endured the treatment process. The chemotherapy regiments were especially tolling on her because she had to go through three different regiments before one of the treatments actually worked. The first round was with six Fludarabine treatments and the second was with Cyclophosphamide, Vincristine and Prednisone (CVP), and neither could decrease her lymph nodes or change her blood counts. My mother remained positive even though these did not succeed. We followed her lead and also remained positive. Finally, by the third treatment of Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Prednisone (CHOP), we received the results that put her in partial remission. It was this last treatment caused her to lose her hair and experience extreme fatigue. She even received daily shots of Neuprogen to keep her white blood cell count at a sustainable level.

Three years after my mother's initial diagnosis, her hair had grown back and she was able to attend my sister Jen's wedding.

However, only three months after the wedding the lymph nodes enlarged again, and she needed to get a new treatment. This time, she started an eighteen week regimen of Rituxan/Cytoxan/Fludarbine treatments. This put her back in remission, but the doctors were concerned that it would be a brief recovery stage. The human body can only withstand so many chemo treatments and we were worried that it would start to lose its impact. She went to Dana Farber where they suggested an allogenic stem cell transplant. My father, sister and I were tested but none of us were a match for my mother. Thankfully we found a match for her through the national donor registry. She was in the hospital for two weeks and on October 24, 2002 she had a Peripheral Blood Stem cell Mini Transplant from that non-related donor. Even though none of us were matches, we all registered to be future donors. Nowadays it is so easy to become part of this registry and all it really takes is a simple mouth swab as opposed to the blood test that we took.

The doctors and specialists instructed my mother to stay in isolation at her house for many months. She was only allowed to leave the house for her weekly visits to Dana Farber and she also had many diet restrictions since no one was allowed in the house except for immediate family, the first time my wife Kathy met my mother was in the driveway.

Yet, through all this she never complained and continued to stay positive.

Over the next few years she did encounter setbacks from Graft vs. Host disease due to the transplant, and had been unable to return to work. I am thankful that she remained in remission and was able to attend my wedding in 2006. She is currently doing well and she and my father Steve have even begun to start on of their longtime, favorite hobbies - traveling.

My mother is involved with raising money, increasing awareness, and providing hope for those affected by this disease. She has spoken many times for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and our whole family has been involved with multiple fund raising activities including the Leukemia & Lymphoma walks, Dana Farber Marathon, and letter writing campaigns.

Personally, I have learned invaluable life lessons from her strength and attitude as she battles her disease. On day one, she faced this disease with a positive attitude and remains upbeat to this day. Even though she endured a high level of physical and emotional pain from the treatments, I never heard her complain. Needless to say, she is an inspiration for me, my family, and hopefully the members of the StopLeukemia.org community. Our organization was founded to allow families to seek the same support and learn about treatments that allowed my mother to regain the life she once knew.

I have grown to become a man who can appreciate life’s smaller gifts, and that is due to my mother. I hope that her story has the same impact on those who read it and inspires others affected by disease to share their stories.   Article about Sandy Richton in the Metrowest Daily News
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/archive/x790739334

From Sandy:
"This has been a big year, I turned 60. It’s been 10 years since my diagnosis and I celebrated my 6th birthday since my stem cell transplant. Without all the new research and medicines, these goals were not easily obtainable. Last year I learned who my stem cell donor was and was able to call him in Texas to personally thank him for his generous gift of life. I am enjoying my new “normal” life and grateful to be a 10 year cancer survivor."

Andrew Sarkisian

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 13:38:37 -0500

Andrew grew up in Westboro, MA with his brother Matt, and parents, Bob and Betty. He was a tremendous tennis and soccer player, and a passionate golfer. I met Andy in March of 1997 at West Virginia University where he attended college. In the fall of 1997 Andrew and our group of friends joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Andrew was a quiet guy and one that everyone liked, respected, and knew they could count on for anything. Andrew graduated in 2000 with a degree from the West Virginia University School of Business and Economics and went on to marry his college sweetheart Rachael in May of 2004. They lived in Bellingham, MA, and both had great careers going, and had a bright future in front of them.

On October 21st, 2005 Andrew was diagnosed with t-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. A.L.L. is a very rare form of leukemia and an extremely harsh one to battle. Though not something he wanted to do, Andrew was ready to take on this challenge and fight it until he no longer could. Andrew had went through many rounds of chemotherapy, full body radiation, and a stem cell transplant. At times, these treatments seemed to work and at one point Andrew was close to remission. He even started interviewing for a new job, and was so excited to get back to a “normal” life. He got out to play a couple rounds of golf and made it out for my 29th birthday in March of 2007.

In April 2007 a CT scan revealed the tumors were back in his body and the doctors were not very hopeful of the outcome. Andrew refused hospice care and wanted more treatment - refusing to give up on the courageous battle for his life. Not once throughout this illness did I hear Andrew complain, never did he say “why me”, and never, did he give up. He was a true inspiration for all that knew him and now he is a true inspiration for all that should have known him.

After watching Andrew go through this battle, fighting to his last breath, he has truly inspired me to continue on his fight and his battle. I saw the days when Andrew was able to run around and enjoy life to its fullest extent, playing pickup basketball at WVU, golfing, and going out with friends. I also saw the days at the hospital, where one day he could get up out of bed on his own, to the days when he needed help, to the days he didn’t have the energy to get out of bed at all. Andrew was and always will be a true inspiration to all. He has inspired me to co-found StopLeukemia.Org with the hopes of never giving up, always inspiring those around me, and fighting to the last whistle, last second, or last breath.

Andrew was an avid fundraiser for leukemia research, twice being a top individual fund raiser for Leukemia-Lymphoma Society. My goals are to continue his fund raising success, help others with much needed financial assistance with regards to this dreaded disease, provide a forum for others to share their inspirations, raise awareness of the many treatments available, and bring as many survivors and loved ones together to celebrate all of our inspirations.

Fred Schneider

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 13:07:29 -0500

My father lived a very rewarding life for more than 52 years. He was born in the Bronx in the summer of 1944, and was raised in a modest apartment with his mother, father and twin brother. His colorful personality, great sense of humor, and strong work ethic all contributed to his successful professional life. In 1964, he started his career with Superior Printing Ink, a small printing company based in New York City. Over the following 32 years, he was a key contributing member to the growth and success of the company. In 1978, he was named the branch manager of Superior’s newly opened Marlboro, MA facility. By 1984, my father was promoted to regional manager; and in 1995, after successfully overseeing all of the company's northeast operations and growing its customer base, he assumed the role of Senior Vice President.

In the midst of all the time and effort he put into his career at Superior, he met the love of his life, my mother Judy. They met at a Chinese restaurant (which probably explains my family’s continuing love for Chinese food) and didn’t date long before getting engaged and ultimately married in September 1970. My father and mother always loved being close to their family and friends in New York City and both had difficulty in moving up to MA when my father was promoted in 1978.

Through all of the challenges that came with the move and the promotion, my father always made plenty of time for his family, friends and hobbies. Every summer while growing up, we rented a house in Dennisport on Cape Cod, where we enjoyed relaxing and enjoyable summers together as a family. My father coached my little league and youth soccer teams as I grew up, and he took great pride in coaching and spending time mentoring me and my younger brother Zach. His other passions included bass fishing and maintaining the lawn. He was a member of the South Middlesex Anglers Club and was an avid tournament fisherman. In his free moments at home (although few and far between), he worked tirelessly to have the “greenest” and most well maintained lawn in the neighborhood. He found great enjoyment in fertilizing and cutting the grass ,no matter what time of day.

In August 1996, everything changed for my father and our family. He was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (“AML”), a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. In AML, the bone marrow makes many unformed cells called blasts. These blasts normally develop into white blood cells that fight infection, however in AML the blasts are abnormal. They do not develop, cannot fight infections, and the number of abnormal cells (or leukemia cells) grows quickly. They crowd out the normal red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets the body needs.

My father kept his spirits up and remained optimistic despite this difficult prognosis - this was one of the many reasons that I always looked up to him. In fact, he encouraged me to continue on to my freshman year at the University of Florida while he was back in Boston fighting this terrible disease. He also encouraged my mother and brother to maintain their daily routines. This was just a small example of how he always put others in front of himself.

For the next two and half months, my father endured numerous rounds of chemotherapy before it was determined that a bone marrow transplant was a necessity to defeat this disease. During this time, I often found myself confused and angry that such a young, caring and seemingly healthy man could be struck with such a serious form of cancer. On Halloween in 1996, he received a bone marrow transplant from his twin brother Marty. The transplant was a success, and my father was in remission. After a month of close monitoring and isolation at Brigham and Women’s hospital under the care of his wonderful doctors and nurses, my father was finally sent back home.

He was able to spend the holiday season with my mother, brother and me as I had just returned home from college for winter break. One of my greatest memories is of my father and I watching my beloved Florida Gators defeat their arch rival Florida State Seminoles for the 1996 National Championship. I cherished every minute together during my three week break and returned to Florida thinking that it was only a matter of time before he would be back on his feet doing what he loved – spending time with the family, fishing, landscaping and even working.

Unfortunately, things didn’t work out this way…

My father developed pneumonia while still at home in late February 1997. On February 27, 1997 he ultimately lost his long, hard fought battle with the dreaded disease. Throughout the six month battle, he was courageous and selfless, which is exactly how he lived his entire life. After almost 12 years, I still miss my father greatly and often struggle with the thought of how much of his life was taken from him way too early. There are so many milestones in my life that we will miss sharing together because of this dreaded disease. I have co-founded StopLeukemia.org for this reason and many others. It is an effort to provide support to others impacted by leukemia. My goal is to continue to share my experiences with others and hopefully, help individuals, families and friends who are facing a similar battle.

Rose M. (Valzania) Cohen

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 11:36:54 -0500

My grandmother, Rose M.(Valzania) Cohen died on December 11, 2008 at the age of 96. She was the head of the family and an inspiring, independent presence in our lives.

She was born in Italy in 1912 and in 1915 came to this country with her mother and sister on the last ship before the beginning of World War I. They joined her father and lived in New Hampshire. When he died in the flu epidemic of 1918, her mother and the three siblings moved to Dorchester, MA. She came from humble beginnings - the first houses that they lived in were without indoor plumbing or electricity. She attended a one room school house and only completed the 8th grade before she had to go to work to help the family.

She married my grandfather in 1936. While he was in Europe during World War II, she worked with her sisters at the retail store the extended family had started in the North End. After the war, they started a family, raised two daughters and moved to Milton, MA where she resided for 58 years.

She was very active in the community and in her children’s lives, and was a Girl Scout leader and PTA mother. She loved working outside and took pride in her vegetable and flower gardens.

She lost her husband after celebrating their 40th anniversary in 1976. This was a devastating loss, but she was determined to stay independent and to continue living in her house that held their life memories.

Over the next 32 years, she returned to work in retail until the age of 90, kept her license and drove until 92, and independently stayed in her house until 96 - only several months before her death. Her health remained good despite her arthritis and back problems. She exercised daily, ate well, cooked for herself and was determined to stay in her house until the end.

Unfortunately, at age 95 her years of anemia turned into multiple myeloma. Although this disease had started to weaken her, she was determined not to let it slow her down. She wanted to try a mild treatment of chemotherapy to see if it would slow down the disease. Always positive and never complaining through all the various doctor visits and treatments, it unfortunately failed to slow down the progress of the myeloma.

She celebrated her 96th birthday at home and then in September an infection started the downward spiral of her health. Her mind was sharp and her fighting spirit was strong, but her body was weakened by age and disease. She could not recover and passed away with family at her side December 11, 2008. She leaves behind a simple philosophy of life - be the best that you can be and be good to one another.

We would like to thank everyone that donated in Grandma Rose's memory.