A NEWLYWED who thought she was tired after a romantic weekend away had to be airlifted to hospital while on the brink of death.
Anna Tower-Kovesdi, 35, was enjoying a weekend in Chicago, US with her new husband Joe, last December when she first felt unusually exhausted.
Jam Press/Anna Tower-KovesdiAnna was diagnosed with blood cancer just five months after marrying Joe[/caption]
Jam Press/Anna Tower-KovesdiThe 35 year old is calling for people to get seen by their doctor if they feel like something is “off.”[/caption]
Jam Press/Anna Tower-KovesdiThe newlyweds spent Christmas at the hospital while Anna underwent cancer treatment[/caption]
But once they were home in Durango, Colorado, her symptoms quickly worsened.
“I had night sweats, fatigue, breathlessness, bruises, and a fever,” Anna explained,
She was so concerned that on December 19, 2021 she went to the emergency room.
Tests soon revealed Anna, who had recently moved from Hungary, had a blood cancer known as rapidly-developing acute leukaemia.
Medics told her she was just days away from having a stroke.
More than 40,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with blood cancer every year.
It’s the third biggest cause of cancer deaths in this country – claiming more lives than either breast or prostate cancers.
Anna said: “When they first told me the diagnosis I told my husband that I don’t want to die and I asked him if he was sure he wanted to do this with me.
“We were newlyweds and had only been married for only five months.”
After Joe reassured his new wife that he wasn’t going anywhere, Anna was airlifted alone from her hometown to Denver in the middle of the night to start intensive chemotherapy.
What followed was a huge test on the marriage – and Anna’s wellbeing – as she was admitted to hospital on December 20 and didn’t leave until January 24.
But, according to Anna her husband Joe, a writer was a huge support.
“He gave up his life to be able to be by my side 24/7 and worked remotely as a writer at my bedside,” she said.
The couple even spent Christmas together at St Luke’s Medical Center where Anna was undergoing treatment.
“We had dinner in my hospital room, I had some Christmas decorations, put some LED lights on my IV Tower, and we had some presents to open,” she explained.
“We were crying a lot and it was so surreal,” Anna added.
What are the symptoms of leukaemia?
There are no specific signs or symptoms which would allow for a doctor to make a diagnosis without lab tests.
In all types of leukaemia symptoms are more commonly caused by a lack of normal blood cells than by the presence of abnormal white cells.
As the bone marrow becomes full of leukaemia cells, it is unable to produce the large numbers of normal blood cells which the body needs.
This can lead to:
Anaemia
Weakness and tiredness
More frequent infections
Fever
Bleeding and bruising
The battle has been tough going for Anna, who has experienced a range of horrifying symptoms.
She said: “I’ve suffered from bad nausea, headaches, stomach aches, vomiting, mouth ulcers, dry and sensitive skin.”
But aside from the horrible symptoms, Anna is also dealing with changes to her physical appearance.
“I lost my hair, I lost all of my muscles, I became skin and bones.
“I also got a serious infection and lost almost 20lbs in a week – I was so weak that I couldn’t even walk alone or stand up from the toilet.
“This is not how you imagine the first year of being married to your new husband,” she explained.
Anna will be on various chemotherapies and other medication until at least June 2024 when she hopes to be cured, having been in remission after one month of intense treatment.
She is now calling for people to go at get seen by a doctor if they feel like something is “off.”
Anna’s sister-in-law set us up a GoFundMe page to help with the “enormous medical bills” they we have to pay back.
It doesn’t matter how young, healthy, or active you are, it can happen,” she said.
“Also, if you can, donate plasma, blood, and platelets – giving blood just once can save three lives,” she added.