WEBVTT FILE

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When Leah Davis began
bleeding from the mouth,

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she went directly
to her dentist.

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One brief look - and he
sent her straight to the

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emergency room.

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 "I actually didn't believe the E.R.

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 doctor when he gave me that initial diagnosis.

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 I really believed that it was something else going

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 on with my body."

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The diagnosis: Acute
Myeloid Leukemia or AML -

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an aggressive cancer of
the blood and bone marrow.

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 "I had no idea what I was going through."

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 "Take some deep breaths in and out ..."

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For Leah, gaining an
understanding of her

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condition was the first
step toward dealing with

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it.

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Though there are many
different kinds of cancer,

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they all start
the same way.

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 "Cancer is an example of a good cell gone bad.

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 Cancer typically arises from normal cells within

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 the body, and some sort of abnormality causes them to

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 transform into a cell that is no longer controlled by

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 the body, or the immune system, the way it should

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 be."

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Once tests confirm the
type of cancer, its size

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and whether it has spread,
the health care team can

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customize an individual
treatment plan.

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This may include: the goal
of treatment - whether

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cure, extending life, or
relieving symptoms, the

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specific treatment or
treatments you'll receive,

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where you'll receive them,
how often and how long

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you'll receive them,
possible side effects, and

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follow-up care
after treatment.

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 "The plan is how you're going to attack it.

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 And that's what patients want to hear.

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 They want to know, "Okay, I've got something I've

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 got to deal with.

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 But here's how I'm gonna try and fix it."

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Depending on the cancer,
as well as your age and

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overall health, treatment
typically involves

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surgery, chemotherapy,
radiation, or some

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combination.

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Other options may include:
Immunotherapy, which

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boosts the body's natural
defenses to fight the

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cancer, Targeted therapy,
which targets proteins and

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other substances that
help cancer cells grow and

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spread, Hormone therapy,
which blocks or interferes

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with hormones that promote
cancer growth, and a Stem

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cell transplant, which
replaces bone marrow that

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has been destroyed by
high-dose chemotherapy or

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radiation.

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 "Any questions about it?"

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When cancer is not
curable, treatment can

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allow some people to
live with the disease.

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 "The analogy that I make is like hypertension.

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 When you have hypertension, are you ever

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 cured of that hypertension?

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 Probably not.

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 You take your blood pressure pill and it

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 controls the hypertension.

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 And so yes, cure is our ideal situation, but there

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 are diseases where we can control it just like it's

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 hypertension or diabetes."

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When Leah received
her treatment plan for

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leukemia, her doctor's
words boosted her

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confidence.

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 "He said, "What you have is curable, and he said we

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 want to cure it."

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 And he gave me the percentage, and he just

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 talked with me.

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He said, you know these
are the steps that we'll

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 take."

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Following months of
aggressive chemotherapy,

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Leah underwent a
successful stem cell

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transplant.

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Today she's returning to a
normal life and determined

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to reach full recovery.

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 "I'm doing great today.

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 I am back at work, I'm exercising, hair is

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growing back, you know
so and I'm feeling good.

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 I feel good."