Autumn’s story
How one woman is inspiring a movement at Marshall University
By Adam Guthrie, nursing student at Marshall University, ureact ambassador
Autumn Cole is a hero. The world needs more of her.
I’m here to ask you to help keep her alive.
This is her story. So why am I sharing it?
Autumn and I are nursing students at Marshall University.
We didn’t meet in college though. We met in high school. Nitro High School in Nitro, West Virginia, to be exact. A cross country and track runner, Autumn is a woman of action. She is an athlete, she is intelligent. She is shy, she is kind.
Autumn is sort of woman you’d never expect to get leukemia.
Nobody expects to get leukemia, I know. It’s a bone marrow cancer. Nobody expects it, yet every three minutes someone is diagnosed with some form of blood cancer.
That’s how they found it; during a routine physical. In the blood work.
But Autumn kept herself in shape and ate well…I guess it doesn’t matter how. It still happened.
I got more closely involved with Autumn when Cathy Tobia, mom of a kid at our high school, organized a swab drive. A swab drive is where people can register as bone marrow donors. A cotton swab on the inside of your cheek gets sent off to the lab to determine if you are a direct match for anyone in need. Even if you aren’t a match now, as long as you’re on the registry you can save someone’s life through bone marrow donation until you are 61!
I registered for Autumn that day, but we didn’t match. Thankfully, Autumn’s treatment worked! The cancer went into remission. And just like a woman of action, she did it in enough time to be able to walk at our high school graduation.
Flash forward and we’re sophomores at Marshall. I was ready for the nursing program. Autumn too. But that goal had to wait; Autumn’s leukemia returned.
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This time, Autumn needed a bone marrow transplant. And someone, somewhere in the donor registry…matched!
Bone marrow transplant — a simple phrase for a devastating procedure. First, you have to do a round of chemotherapy to destroy the cancer cells. Your immune system is collateral damage. Once that’s done, you go through an infusion of blood cells that kickstart healthy bone marrow growth. This goes on and on for several rounds.
Autumn went through this procedure at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Facing down cancer and yet there she was, still determined, still sweet, still kind, still working. To Autumn, leukemia is a detour, not an exit. This woman has a will to live! THE will to live.
That’s how she pushed back leukemia a second time.
Now, I wish this was the part where I got to tell you that’s the last we have seen of her arch nemesis. That even though she lost a year because of medical leave, she’s cruising through the nursing program. But it’s not.
Once again, Autumn’s leukemia has returned. She’s again going through treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, now in her third round.
What would you do if you were told you had cancer a third time? I don’t know what I’d do.
But Autumn, ever the optimist. She kept it simple. A message of hope: Here’s to Round Three. Be Awesome Today.
Autumn is a hero by any measure of the word! She leads by example. She is brave in the face of adversity. She is kind, she is generous.
And right now, instead of us needing a hero, a hero needs us.
Autumn is strong but the clock is ticking for her. We need to find a match for her so she can continue her treatment.
She would never do this for herself because she’s humble. That’s why I’m here to tell you how amazing she is and how she needs our help.
Can you be a hero for Autumn? A swab of your cheek is all that’s needed.
If you’re already in the database, you can still help! Share her story. Use the share buttons at the top, the bottom, the side — wherever it is. It’s important for us to spread the word; finding a donor is a numbers game and we need the numbers. Now more than ever.
I wouldn’t have this opportunity to tell you about Autumn if it weren’t for DKMS.org. They are working to eradicate blood cancer all over the world. You can swab, volunteer your time, learn more about blood cancers, and so much more. I volunteer with them because I’ve seen the difference a bone marrow transplant can make. Leukemia affects everyone.
See if you are a match with Autumn Cole by clicking here. https://www.dkms.org/en/register
