A Freak Accident Put Me In The ER — Then I Discovered My Diagnosis

Ashley:

For pretty much the entirety of 2021, I was experiencing really weird symptoms—such as night sweats and fatigue. My body felt completely off, and deep down, I knew something was wrong. But every doctor I saw told me I was totally fine, and there was nothing to be concerned about.

One ER doctor told me my white blood cell numbers were extremely high—at the levels of a blood cancer patient. He instructed me to get retested in a week, to double check if it was accurate. 

I kind of brushed it off, and didn’t think much about it. Then when I told my mom what the doctor said, she insisted I get retested right away. I’m so thankful that she did, because when I finally did, the numbers were still extremely high. 

The following week, I went to see a hematologist-oncologist at City of Hope. With my mom by my side and my sister on the phone, the doctor diagnosed me with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). As he was telling me this information, I was in complete denial. After all, I thought I was a healthy 20-year-old woman, how could this be possible?

I learned that it was going to be a long, hard road treating CML Leukemia, because it’s a chronic cancer. It was something I would have to deal with for the rest of my life. 

My oncologist informed me that there was a treatment called SPRYCEL, which is a type of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI) Therapy1 that identifies and attacks specific types of cancer cells while causing less damage to normal cells. I also had to do chemotherapy and immunotherapy alongside this medication. 

After my diagnosis, I did everything in my power to understand how to best support my body through this journey. I poured through research, reading whatever I could find to learn about my diet, how my environment affects me, etc. Through this research, I became incredibly aware of just how many potential toxins and chemicals were inside my home, hiding in my makeup, hair products, and more. 

I immediately called my sister Samantha and asked, what can I do? I loved my products, and all the natural options I’d tried just didn’t work for me. For instance, certain shampoos were making my hair tough and brittle—I was already experiencing a lot of hair loss from my treatment, so this was really discouraging. A lot of the products I was using on my hair also made my skin rashes even worse. I felt so overwhelmed, and I wasn’t sure what to do. 

Samantha: 

I wanted to be there for my sister, and help her in any way I could. So when she told me about her challenges with hair products, I thought of a way to take action. 

I’ve started and sold a few businesses in the past, so I was confident this could be the next project to take on. Our family business is actually haircare and skincare product development and manufacturing. Our mom is a cosmetic chemist and formulator with an extensive background. We decided to use our family expertise (and also team up with some highly experienced lab technicians and formulators) to develop products that were safe for my sister to use. 

This process definitely wasn’t easy, and we went through a lot of different iterations. Our goal was to create hair care products that were completely safe, and could also give Ashley healthy, strong, hydrated hair. 

Ashley: 

You lose so much going through this experience. You can’t really be around people because your immune system is compromised, you can’t eat certain foods because they could react to medications you’re taking. 

I always ate a very balanced diet, but I would occasionally eat foods like frozen packaged meals. Now, I’ve gotten rid of all of that, and I cook a lot more—I have to know exactly what’s going into my food, so I can protect my body. 

Samantha: 

Everyone reacts and absorbs information differently, and you have to do what you can in your own way. My way of processing and being supportive was doing what I do best: jumping into action and finding solutions. But my mom, for instance, is the kind of person who’s always by your side. We all have our own strengths and support styles. I think ultimately doing what you can, trying to make things better for them, and staying in a positive space is crucial. 

Ashley:

For me, I think it’s really helpful to know your loved ones are there for you—but it’s also important to not always talk about your illness. It means so much to me when my family can make jokes, laugh with me, and have fun. The small things—like asking if you need food or a coffee—can also mean so much.