I never imagined writing the words: Help my sister fight aplastic anemia. 

At 26 years old, Lani was happily serving her Port Orchard community as a special education teacher, sharing her wisdom and love with her students. This was until she began to experience symptoms that led to her hospitalization. In the hospital, Lani underwent dozens of treatments, from fluid infusions to blood transfusions and everything in between. She braved the entire thing, bedbound, whilst continuing to write lesson plans for her students. She even designed a special winter-themed project for her class before their winter break so they will have a keepsake for years to come. That's how deep her love for her students is!

During this, Lani’s husband supported her from the sidelines, being present at the hospital, caring for their 2 loving dogs and the family cat, while also serving in the United States Navy.

After countless tests, labs, and scans, Lani's second bone marrow biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of aplastic anemia. In short, aplastic anemia means that Lani's bone marrow is not functioning. All blood cells begin as HCT in the bone marrow, and in aplastic anemia, the bones are unable to create new cells. This literally means Lani does not have enough blood, which makes her vulnerable to bleeding, infection, and without treatment...death. 

Now to get out of the doom and gloom. I am writing this because there is hope for the beautiful, caring, talented human that is Lani Brumley. Fortunately, with thanks to modern-day medical advances, Lani can make a recovery. Unfortunately that recovery is not cheap. 

Lani will be undergoing a Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT) transplant, which is a lengthy and dangerous process. After confirming her HLA genetic match, Lani will undergo chemotherapy and radiation to kill her remaining functioning bone marrow (which isn't much--at the time I am writing this, 5% of her bone marrow is functional). 

After her chemo and radiation, she will undergo the transplant process. She will receive the HCT of a donor and will remain hospitalized until deemed safe for discharge (typically between 1-2 months). 

I write this to illuminate the entire journey that Lani will be taking. After she is discharged from the hospital, she will need a full time caregiver, as she will be extremely susceptible to complications ranging from her body rejecting the transplant to infection. At this point, she will be reliant on her caregiver and her transplant team. 100 days post transplant with Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT) acceptance means the transplant will be considered successful, and Lani will be on her way to recovery. Even after a successful transplant, it will take time for Lani to build an entire blood and immune system from scratch.

There are even more factors and steps to consider such as freezing eggs or embryos before chemotherapy to preserve her dream of carrying children, constant vigilant supervision of her organs to ensure her body is responding well to above-mentioned treatments, and the mental toll of having to fight so hard just to stay alive.

I know this journey will be long. I know it will be arduous. I want to help Lani in any way that we can by offering her financial peace of mind in a series of treatments that are devastatingly expensive. Anything that we are able to contribute is helpful. Even a donation as little as $5 sends a message of hope and positivity to Lani. 

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting my sister as we embark on this journey together of helping her heal from aplastic anemia. 

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