Hi, my name is Hannah. I was diagnosed in June of 2023 with ITP. I noticed some bad bruising one evening, that hadn’t been there that morning, and that same night I got 2 nosebleeds. I don’t ever get nosebleeds. I thought it was odd, so I made a doctor’s appointment and was sent for blood work.

The results didn’t come back in time before my colonoscopy so I went and got it done. As soon as I got home, I started to bleed really badly, I went to call the doctor back and he told me he got my results and my platelets were at 3,000 so I needed to go to the Emergency Room. I had every blood test, and scan. They did a bone marrow biopsy because they were worried it was Acute Leukemia. One of the scariest moments was waiting for the results.

I had never heard of ITP in my life before this, or how life-altering it could be. They got my platelets up with steroids enough to safely send me home. From June to now I’ve had ups and downs. Dexamethasone courses and IVIG. I just finished my Rituximab treatments and hoping my platelets continue to respond. At 22 I never thought this was something I would have to navigate, but I just have to keep pushing forward. [I am] thankful for all the support and health care options I have.