Danell's Journey › Just diagnosed
I was told the same thing in January 2025, and I was days from a coma when they found it. I am not a doctor and nothing here is medical advice. But I remember exactly how the first week felt, and these are the things I wish someone had handed me on day one — what to watch, what to read, and most of all, who to talk to.
One year later I am in remission after an allogeneic stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor. You can watch me talk about where things stand, or start with the resources below.
If you or someone you love was just diagnosed, start with the first card — it is the one written for tonight. The rest are the things that made all of this easier to understand and carry once we could breathe again.
Why treatment started before anyone explained anything. What blasts are, what your white count means, and the rest of the vocabulary you are suddenly expected to follow. Why they won't let you walk the hallway. And the one rule worth memorising before you sleep: what temperature means you call, right now, at 3am, even when you feel silly doing it.
Read: the first days →This might sound strange, but this anime (on Netflix) explains how blood actually works — red cells, white cells, platelets — in a way that made all my doctors' explanations click. Genuinely helpful for understanding your own body.
Watch on Netflix →This webcast from Blood Cancer United covers where AML treatment stands right now. I share this with every newly diagnosed patient and family I talk to.
Watch the webcast →These forums hold real grief alongside real answers — go in knowing that. But they're also where you'll find people who understand exactly what you're carrying, at every stage.
AML Support Group (Facebook) →If you were just diagnosed with AML, or you are caring for someone who was, the loneliest part is thinking nobody has stood exactly where you are standing. Somebody has. These four will connect you with them, and none of them costs anything.
They pair you with someone who had your cancer, your age, your situation, and came out the other side. Not a group. One person who gets it. Free, and they match caregivers too.
Go to Imerman Angels →The deepest library anywhere on transplant and CAR-T, plus a directory for finding support near you. This is where I send people who want to actually understand what is about to happen.
Go to BMT InfoNet →Real oncology social workers, at no cost, by phone or video. They run caregiver groups too, which almost nobody does. If you are the one holding everything together, this one is for you.
Go to CancerCare →Formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Peer programs, financial navigation, and information specialists you can actually call.
Go to Blood Cancer United →