Blood Counts: My Triumphant Battle over Aplastic Anemia

By Asa J. McMahon

A young man, fresh out of college with a new career and a young family to provide for is dealt one of lifes most serious challenges. When Asa finds his life is immediately threatened with a rare and deadly blood disease, he musters every ounce of strength he has just to stay alive. Battling the pain and despair of misdiagnoses and failed treatments, Asa can only hope for the best. Leaning on family, friends, nurses, doctors and the promise of innovative medical procedures, Asa fights for each new day so that he can be there for those he loves. Based on true events, this is an inspiring story about the adversity of sickness, the hope for health and the gift of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jul 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456748593

Asa J. McMahon

Asa McMahon lives with his family in Ithaca, New York. He still teaches physical education at a neighboring school district. A self-described sports fanatic, Asa roots passionately for the New York Mets. With his health restored, Asa wakes each morning extremely grateful for the opportunities life provides. This is his first book.

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© 2011 Asa J. McMahon. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 07/20/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-4858-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-4859-3 (ebk)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-4860-9 (dj)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011903711

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter 1-

A Needle of Fate

Chapter 2-

The Deadly Revelation

Chapter 3-

Searching for Answers

Chapter 4-

Adversity Bonds

Chapter 5-

The Diagnosis

Chapter 6-

A Glimpse at Death

Chapter 7-

Treatment Options

Chapter 8-

Countdown

Chapter 9-

My Brother’s Greatest Gift

Chapter 10-

Rebound

Chapter 11-

Homecoming

To Seth, for the hope and blood.

To Mikayla, for the joy and inspiration.

Thank you, Lynda C. Diamond,

for all of your editing support.

Chapter 1-

A Needle of Fate

Pumpkin Guts

With another October nearing its end, the annual pumpkin carving party was alive and in full swing. The location of the Halloween-themed party was a spacious yet inconspicuous garage down in the valley just outside of the small town of Candor, New York. The cars, trucks, and family vans that lined the circle driveway were the only exterior signs of the rather large get-together taking place. Inside the comfortably heated garage, the wonderful sound of laughter and conversation rose above the classic rock music humming from the speakers of a radio in the background. Fresh apple cider and hot-brewed coffee washed down the delicious donuts and homemade cookies that were rapidly disappearing off of the treat table. I was definitely eating and drinking my share of the goodies. Meanwhile, friends and family labored away with the joy of carving their own unique jack-o-lanterns. Pumpkin seeds were strewn all over the makeshift tables of plywood on sturdy sawhorses. As for the rest of the slimy pumpkin guts, the floor rapidly collected what the wheelbarrow and garbage cans could not. This once immaculately clean and meticulously organized garage was now turning into an incredible mess of sloppy pumpkin parts.

In need of a little fresh air, I ventured outside into the cool autumn dusk. Darkness was setting in much faster now. My memory of the long, hot summer days was swiftly fading. On the grass in the front yard, Ben and Jacob ran around tossing glow-sticks high into the air. The glow-sticks shot up into the night like mini rockets illuminating the darkening sky. Eventually the sticks would reach their peak, make a turn, and let gravity take them back down to earth. More times than not, the brothers would catch the nose-diving glow-sticks before they crash-landed into the dew-soaked ground. As for introductions, Ben and Jacob are Leondra’s younger cousins, and Leondra is my beautiful blonde wife who you will get to know a lot better later on.

At this moment, and every other I could think of, Leondra’s cousins were full of energy. They reminded me of the kids that I worked with in my new job as an elementary physical education teacher. I was thrilled to be working in the field that I studied hard for in college. I cannot imagine an occupation that could be any more fun for me day in and day out. My blossoming career certainly added a newly found bounce to my step.

After watching Ben and Jacob play for a few minutes, I joined in and chased them throughout the large yard. As I sprung for their glow-sticks, a spirited game of keep-away ensued. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before I needed to take a time out. While I was running, my left foot caught a small ridge in the lawn and my ankle gave out from underneath me. The minor sprain sent a quick jolt of pain up my left leg. By now, I knew my ankle well enough to realize that I would be able to handle the pain and get by with walking the stubborn thing off. After all, this weak left ankle had been giving me grief for years. Following two excruciating breaks while yanking down rebounds in pick-up basketball games, countless sprains, and a surgery to remove bone fragments, I would have readily traded my left ankle for anyone else’s. Other than my uncooperative ankle, I was in great health. With my new physical education position, I was getting in even better shape by running around with my eager students every day. Chasing Ben and Jacob was no different. Their energy and enthusiasm for play was contagious. After I took a minute to walk off the pain, I rejoined Ben and Jacob’s ongoing game.

When at last I had become too exhausted to chase the boys, I decided to head back into the garage and finish my jack-o-lantern. With a sharp knife, I had already carefully cut away the bottom of my pumpkin and scraped out the insides. The design I chose and pinned onto my pumpkin reminded me of the famous Batman symbol that shines brightly over Gotham City in the movies. Since I had found the Batman design among the easy category of pumpkin carving ideas, my jack-o-lantern was predictably turning out fantastic. Although the details of many of the other jack-o-lanterns were truly remarkable, I understood that a more challenging design would have likely led me to frustration. I was content to keep things simple by carving an easy bat.

The highlight of the evening came when we lit several small candles and placed them under all of the jack-o-lanterns. Then, with the garage lights off, we lingered to admire the many masterpieces. Everyone graciously complimented each other’s hard work. Even my simple design made me proud. Oohs and aahs were among the common courtesies granted as the flames from the candle wicks danced inside the pumpkins, casting eerie shifting shadows on the garage walls.

Not long after the climactic pumpkin lighting ceremony, the party died down as some people began the daunting task of cleaning up while others were saying goodbye. Leondra and I thanked her Aunt Sue and Uncle Randy for having us. The pumpkin carving party was a blast as always. Leondra and I carried our newly created jack-o-lanterns to her car and carefully set them in the trunk of the tan Nissan Sentra. Later, in anticipation of Halloween, we would display the jack-o-lanterns on the sidewalk leading to our door at home. In a few short days children dressed as ghosts, goblins, witches, and monsters would come knocking for a trick or a treat. Though frightening, these creepy creatures were no match for the terrifying twist my life would soon take.

•

After Leondra and I left the party with our one-year-old daughter, Mikayla, my mind began to sort through all of the things that I needed to get done that weekend. I still needed to get my work schedule, finish up my lesson plans, complete a project for the college class I was taking, and call my brother to see what his plans for Halloween were. While the pumpkin carving party was a great break from my busy everyday life, there was a lot that I had to accomplish before Monday rolled around.

From the passenger seat I turned around to see Mikayla resting in her car seat in the back. Her head nodded and her eyes got heavy as she began to fall asleep while snuggling her favorite yellow baby-blanket. Before long, she would be dozing off in dreamland.

missing image file

Mikayla, wearing a bunny costume for Halloween, smiles with her Daddy.

Meanwhile, I was trying to decide which of the aforementioned tasks I should turn my attention to first when we got home. Perhaps Leondra could stop at Price Chopper for me so I could write down my work schedule for the following week. Price Chopper was the grocery store, less than a mile down the road that provided me with a flexible part-time job on the weekends and some weeknights. The store also offered me the opportunity to keep my family’s health insurance while I maintained my employment. Just a few months earlier, I was Price Chopper’s full-time overnight cashier, working the graveyard shift while I was finishing up my required college courses. Now, I was most grateful to be off the night schedule and working there just part-time. Rather than make the stop at the store now, I decided it would be easier for me to just call the front desk later to set up my work schedule for next week. This was something that could wait until the morning.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Mikayla, now sleeping like an angel comfortably in the back seat. My little girl looked peaceful and happy. I wondered what she was dreaming about.

Meanwhile, my mind continued to race. I knew that I would be able to catch up with my brother within the next couple days. Since Seth and I were outnumbered growing up in a family with five girls and just us two boys, we really had no choice but to get along. My brother has always been one of my most favorite people. If he had some exciting plans for Halloween, I would want to know about it.

At the moment though, I had more urgent obligations to attend to. Certainly my lesson plans for school next week were a top priority. Any veteran teacher can tell you that the time required to write quality lesson plans in the first years of teaching is significant. Besides my lesson plans, I also had to concentrate on the college course I was taking at Cortland State. I thought about how I was procrastinating on my final portfolio of the various discipline approaches and procedures that are needed for a healthy educational environment. The due date for this final project would arrive before I knew it. Even though I truly believe that the pressure of last-minute work magically increases the quality of some projects, I could definitely do without the added stress. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and leaned my head back on the passenger seat. I told myself everything would fall into place and come together as it always does. Leondra flicked her car’s high beams on and gracefully navigated the twisting and turning country roads that led back home.

The Ice-Cold Injection

Of all the things that kept me busy, my new teaching job was the second most exciting. Mikayla was first, of course. At the Immaculate Conception School I was quickly learning the general day-to-day policies and procedures. The students were quickly adjusting to my teaching style and routines. Thankfully, most of them were already comparing me favorably to other teachers they had in the past. I wondered if I was starting out too easy on them. Whatever the case was, I had entered a profession where I could make a difference in the lives of our youth. I felt that my new position came with a tremendous amount of influence and responsibility that I wanted to use wisely. My long-term goal was to look back and realize that I positively influenced society through my efforts in education. Just a few months into my teaching position, I felt I was already making an impact in the development of my students.

Early in October, the nurse at Immaculate Conception School asked me for a copy of my shot records. Being a new teacher at the school, I never questioned her request. I assumed Mrs. McEver had access to everyone’s medical records. I was sure I had the paperwork somewhere and let her know that I would get a copy to her. After some tedious searching through old files at home, I located the requested paperwork and brought it to Mrs. McEver. After reviewing it, she noticed that I had yet to receive my third and final shot in the Hepatitis B vaccination series. She informed me that I could get the shot at the local health department free of charge and highly recommended that I go and get it.

Busy with other priorities, I put off getting the shot throughout the month of October. A few times in passing, Mrs. McEver asked me if I had yet to receive the shot. I confessed that I simply had not had the time to get it yet. Then, one day while I was sitting in her office, Mrs. McEver called the local Health Department and asked if I would need an appointment. They told her I could come in anytime because they had the vaccination readily available. Since I had started the series over five years ago while I was in the United States Army, she also asked if there should be any reason for concern for the delay in receiving the third shot. Mrs. McEver and I wanted their opinion on whether I should start the series over or just receive the third and final shot. The consensus at the Health Department was that starting the series over would not be necessary. Instead, they recommended that I just go ahead and receive the third dose in the series since I had already been administered the first two.

At the time, I had no idea that I could have taken a titer to test my level of immunity towards Hepatitis B. In fact, I did not even know what a titer was. Now I understand that a titer measures the amount of antibodies in the blood. By measuring the concentration of antibodies present in one’s blood, a doctor can check for an adequate immune memory. Had I known then what I know now, I would have gotten a titer done. Who knows? I may have already been immune to Hepatitis B after receiving the first two shots five years ago. Had this been the case, I obviously wouldn’t have needed to get the third shot. I took the Health Department’s advice that it was safe and decided to make the time to receive the final Hepatitis B vaccination.

•

Despite any remaining doubts as to whether I should be getting the shot, I went to the Tompkins County Health Department after school on November 4, 2002. I remember driving around and having a hard time finding the right building. I knew that the Health Department was near the Cayuga Medical Center, but I