Woman's Test To Save Mom's Life Reveals She Also Has Cancer

"You have cancer." Those three words change a person's life forever.

Kristin Draper, a 59-year-old flight attendant from Annapolis, Maryland, got the news everyone dreads in early 2021. After a routine check-up found a low platelet count, she was sent for a bone marrow biopsy. This confirmed that she had myelofibrosis, a rare and malignant blood cancer.

Kristin needed a stem cell transplant and her daughter Danielle Draper volunteered, despite a hatred of hospitals.

During one of the check-ups to ascertain whether Danielle was healthy enough to be a donor, doctors told the younger woman she had a large tumor in her chest. It was Stage 1 Hodgkin lymphoma, diagnosed on December 29, 2021.

"We spent the whole Christmas in utter terror," Danielle, now 26, told Newsweek. "Although in a way, my mom saved my life when I was trying to save hers."

The Diagnosis

"By December 2021, after my mom's diagnosis but before mine, I had just landed my dream job, moved into a new apartment with my boyfriend and I had made peace with my mom's diagnosis," she said.

"I was confident that she was going to make it through her cancer battle and that she would return to her bright and healthy self on the other side. At 25, I felt like I finally had a strong foundation of who I was, what I wanted and how to get it."

Danielle, a project manager who lives in Washington, D.C., rarely had cause to visit her doctor before her cancer diagnosis. She didn't even have a primary care physician, still using her pediatrician from childhood.

"The day was going well, bouncing from appointment to appointment for the stem cell transplant testing for my mom," said Danielle. "Everything was looking good and getting approved. Last came the chest x-ray. After the chest x-ray, the doctor sat me down and told me they found a large tumor in my chest by my heart.

"That was the worst moment of my life. I immediately thought I was going to die."

Danielle's first urge was to call her mother, but Kristin was working on a flight that was about to take off.

"I lied and said the appointment went well," Danielle said. "I didn't want to ruin her trip. When she came home, I sat her down and told her I could not be her donor anymore because there was a tumor in my chest. I will never forget the look on her face. It was harrowing."

Kristin's Cancer

Myelofibrosis is a rare blood cancer where scar tissue forms in your bone marrow. There are approximately 1.5 cases per 100,000 people reported each year in the U.S., according to the Cleveland Clinic. It added: "It affects people regardless of sex. People of any age can have myelofibrosis, although it's more likely to be diagnosed in people over 50."

Danielle's Cancer

Hodgkin lymphomas are blood cancers that usually develop in the lymphatic system, a group of organs, vessels and tissues that protect the body from infection. They affect roughly 3 in 100,000 people in the U.S., according to the Cleveland Clinic. "Hodgkin lymphomas typically affect people in two age groups," it said. "The first group is people age 20 to 39. This age group has the highest rate of diagnosis. The second group includes people age 65 and older."

'Brave Yet Terrified'

On hearing the news, "the fear was paralyzing," said Danielle. "Unlike previous dark periods in my life where I have experienced depression or anxiety, this was the first time in my life I was truly so scared I was going to die.

"Fear consumed me completely. I was stuck in fight or flight. At one point when everything flipped upside down, I was so overwhelmed with pain that I went numb and gave up trying to feel."

Despite the overwhelming desire to bury her head in the sand, Danielle knew she had to confront the situation.

"No matter how much you resist pain, the pain will still be there," she said. "So, I decided that I was going to spend time and energy confronting, processing, navigating and surrendering to my pain, trying to be proactive rather than reactive.

"I sought out support and resources—a therapist, journaling, support groups, podcasts, reading up, talking to friends, music. I learned that it is OK for me to be both sad and full of hope. Brave yet terrified."

'I Guess We Were Made To Fight This Fight Together'

Kristin and Danielle had been diagnosed with different blood cancers within the space of a year. While their doctors were surprised, they assured the mother and daughter that their illnesses were not connected.

"The odds of us both going through cancer at the same time were so unfair and quite mindblowing," said Danielle. "I guess we were made to fight this fight together. We learned to hold space for conflicting emotions, letting grief and gratitude co-exist."

Danielle began ABVD chemotherapy in January 2022, three days before starting her new job, which her doctor believed would act as a motivator.

ABVD stands for doxorubicin (under the brand name Adriamycin), bleomycin, vinblastine and dacarbazine—the combination of drugs used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma.

One month later, in February, Kristin received her stem cell transplant. Her sister was her donor.

"I would visit my mom in the hospital during her recovery while I got chemotherapy every other Friday. There are no words to describe the mental, physical and spiritual toll cancer and chemotherapy take on all aspects of a person's life," said Danielle.

"It's exceptionally unusual to be able to relate to your mom about chemotherapy. We would compare symptoms. She would joke, 'You didn't lose your hair? Lucky!'"

Danielle's symptoms were mainly extreme nausea and fatigue but she managed to keep hold of her hair, while Kristin lost hers almost immediately.

For most people with Hodgkin lymphoma, the side effects usually go away after treatment ends, according to the American Cancer Society.

Common short-term side effects of both chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant are: hair loss, mouth sores, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, easy bruising or bleeding, and fatigue.

'Life Had More Lessons To Teach Me'

After eight rounds of chemo, the tumor in Danielle's chest had disappeared and she was considered in complete remission. Meanwhile, Kristin was making a remarkable recovery. The mother and daughter enjoyed a fun-filled summer with family and friends, and felt life was starting to get back to normal.

"Unfortunately, life had more lessons to teach me," said Danielle. "In November 2022, a follow-up routine scan revealed that the tumor had returned and was getting bigger." She was "extremely sad," but added, "I knew that if anyone could fight this, it's me."

Like her mom, Danielle needed a stem cell transplant—and a sibling was the one to step up.

First, though, Danielle and her boyfriend set up a GoFundMe. "We wanted to be saving for cool vacations, graduate school or a house," she said. "Instead we had to find the money for fertility preservation, immunotherapy, the transplant, hospitalization, medication, housing, gasoline and food. We needed help."

Completing the family circle, Danielle's brother was her donor and she had the transplant on April 4, 2023. "He gave me the greatest gift a person could give, a new immune system," she said.

After a stem cell transplant the patient is extremely immunocompromised, "You have to be monitored every single day for 60 days and are on total lockdown. I lost my hair during this time. I also used yoga to rehabilitate my body."

'We Have So Much Light In Our Lives'

In July, Danielle got the news that the transplant had worked. The way she found out was somewhat anticlimactic, though. "I barely slept that night," she said. "I was casually checking my email and saw an email saying 'Scan is all clear. Have a great summer.' Very anticlimactic, but I was ecstatic!"

The first person Danielle wanted to tell was her mom. "I wanted to tell her in person. She was so surprised—well, more relieved than anything. We were immediately both crying," she said.

"To tell her that the fight is over felt like winning the lottery of life. There really are no words to describe that amount of joy."

Both Danielle and Kristin are now considered NED, no evidence of disease. "While there is a long road ahead of follow-up scans, blood work and adjusting to the long-term effects of the treatment on our bodies, we are so unbelievably relieved and grateful to have made it through this very difficult time.

"We have so much light in our lives that guides, protects and uplifts us."