Harley Durham

When Harley was 22 weeks pregnant, she started experiencing abnormal symptoms that led to her diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. 

After trying for a few years to get pregnant, my husband and I finally were pregnant with our first child. Everything was going as to be expected until it wasn't.

My symptoms didn't start until closer to my second trimester. The first symptom was a weird rash on the bottom of my shins, but they didn't itch or hurt. My obstetrician-gynecologist told me that a woman's body changes with pregnancy. As the weeks progressed, I began to develop new symptoms. The rash-like spots on my shins turned into bruises, I was sleeping 14 or more hours a day and I wasn't keeping any food down, that was when I tried to eat. Every time I would stand, I felt like I was going to pass out and I could feel my heart beating out of my chest. My symptoms were getting worse and worse as the weeks went on.

It had finally gotten to a point where my body could no longer take it.

As I was walking down the hall to the office of the school where I worked, I could feel myself starting to pass out. I sat myself down and called the secretary from my phone and asked if someone could come get me and that I wasn't able to walk any further. Our school resource officer (SRO) came with the wheelchair, while another school assistant was attending to me, and they both escorted me to the nurse. I was fighting to stay conscious as the nurse was checking my vitals when her next words were "Oh that can't be right," when she read that my heart rate was at 235 beats per minute. The SRO immediately radioed for EMS. They arrived and offered to take me to the emergency room, but I said I wanted my husband to. The EMTs wanted to wait until my husband was there to pick me up but as we waited, I started to lose consciousness.

All I could remember was the EMT saying "Harley, you have to stay awake," an then, "We can't wait. We have to take her now”.

My husband met us in the ER at Centennial. While we were waiting in a room, a nurse came in to draw some blood. About 30 minutes later, the ER doctor came in and told us that I would have to be admitted and given blood due to my red blood cell count being so low. That same doctor came back about 20 minutes later to tell us, "One of our blood specialists took a look at your blood work and they believe you have leukemia." Shortly after, that blood specialist came in with two others and said "We know you have leukemia. Now we need to figure out which type. You will be admitted into Sarah Cannon Cancer Center and tomorrow we will perform a bone marrow biopsy."

I was then admitted to Sarah Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville, a biopsy was done bedside the next day, results were in 24 hours later and then chemo was started.

I received two rounds of chemo while pregnant. I gave birth to my son at 32 weeks, then continued with three more rounds of chemo.

I am 2 ½ years in remission and my son will be 3 years old come December.

This story was written and submitted by Harley Durham. The article reflects the views of Durham and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.

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Articles

A woman experienced severe symptoms during her pregnancy, including a rash, extreme fatigue, and a dangerously high heart rate. After collapsing at work, she was taken to the ER, where blood tests revealed she had leukemia. She was admitted to a cancer center, underwent a bone marrow biopsy, and began chemotherapy while pregnant. She delivered her son prematurely at 32 weeks and continued treatment. Now, she is 2 ½ years in remission, and her son is approaching his third birthday.

During my second trimester of pregnancy, I started to notice a weird rash, which led to other events before my diagnosis of AML. 

Harley Durham

My Acute Myeloid Leukemia Diagnosis at 22 Weeks Pregnant

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