My grandmother passed away on Monday, July 1. She was taken to the ER by my mother and I on Friday for severe arm pain, along with a week of not eating. We thought the lack of eating was due to her dementia and the arm pain to sleeping on it wrong...boy were we wrong! Once she was at the ER, the nurse began to draw blood and perform a series of tests (X-ray, Ultrasound, CT scan, etc) to see what was the reason behind her pain. The X-ray on her arm showed no break or damage at all. A few hours later we learned through the doctor on staff that she had acute leukemia, a very aggressive form. What a shock! She was admitted and transferred upstairs to a room where she could be observed and receive IV fluids to combat her severe dehydration.

AML(Acute Myeliod Leukemia) is the most common acute leukemia affecting adults. It's characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal white blood cells that accumulate in the bone marrow and interfere with the production of normal blood cells. The symptoms of AML include fatigue, shortness of breath, easy bruising and bleeding, and increased risk of infection. My Grandma experienced all of these symptoms - unfortunately, no one suspected something as serious as AML otherwise we would have gotten her in earlier. As an acute leukemia, AML progresses rapidly and is typically fatal within weeks or months if left untreated. Her kind of cancer (of the blood or bone marrow) was explained to us this way: characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". /05/51d7133c20bab.PNG' alt='image' />

At first her doctor discussed treatment options - bone marrow test and chemotherapy, but it was decided based on her age (83) and frail health, the chemotherapy would kill her. Then a day later, more blood tests were taken, and they revealed an even higher elevation of bad cells in her blood. The doctor had more bad news for us: her prognosis was days to weeks left to live, not months as first thought. She did receive 2 units of blood to give her a boost of energy for a day.

Four days after being admitted to the hospital she died. I think everyone in my family was shocked how quickly she went, but it was for the best. She was in a lot of pain. I'm thankful her death was fairly quick and pain free.

Her funeral will be held on Monday 7/8, lots of friends and family will come together to celebrate her life and mourn her passing. Grandma Mona was always a generous, loving, patient, and caring person who gave of herself selflessly. She will be missed greatly!

Here's my favorite picture I took of Grandma last summer when we visited Old World Wisconsin together - she loved that place!

Love you Grandma!