Growing up, I was an active kid; always playing with friends and family. Life changed in September 1997…I was 11.

What we thought would be a cleaning turned into an abrupt halt in my everyday life. Our Dentist told us that I had a hematoma in my mouth, therefore he could not clean my teeth, and that I needed to get bloodwork done right away. Later that evening, my parents received a call from the hospital, “You need to get to the hospital right away, her platelet count is at 5,000”. None of us had a clue what that meant.

From that point on, activities pivoted from playing softball to weekly bloodwork, in a hospital having treatment, and sleeping trying to recover from the treatment side effects. Wash, rinse, repeat.

My treatments varied: IVIG, Prednisone, WinRho, N-Plate, none which kept my counts stable long enough. Finally, a promising treatment…Rituxan.

Throughout this time in my life, fear of the unknown consumed me: What’s my count this week? Which treatment am I going to be doing? When is the next doctor’s appointment? I stopped being active, had difficulty making friends, felt anxious to go to school, always feeling fatigued, in chronic pain, etc. It was crippling emotionally, mentally, and physically. Anxiety dictated my life.

There came a time, 20 years post diagnosis, when I was at my lowest; not living but surviving and something needed to change.

A colleague of mine started a couch to 5k group and talked me into trying it and he’d coach me along the way. Months later, I ran my first 5k. The sense of accomplishment, putting my fears to the side was so empowering. I didn’t worry about my platelet count or if I had a bruise or two. I was embarking on a new chapter: Not to live in fear. Not allowing my ITP to define my life.

My last Rituxan treatment was 9 years ago, and I’ve been in remission since; not only because of the Rituxan, but also because of changing my lifestyle. Therapy, exercise, mind body awareness, positive mindset, and having an amazing support group. I am a member of a gym with an amazing community of women, I am eating healthier, listening to my body – living the best version of myself.

I continue to have ups and downs with my health and my platelet count but nevertheless, I keep moving forward and not living in fear. That’s been my motto for the last 9 years…. Keep moving. #KeepMoving