Sabrina Mainil marked her one-year anniversary of her diagnosis of leukemia on Friday by having her sister Ambria take a victory photo of her in full remission.
The 24-year-old Weyburn woman had her world rocked on July 2 a year ago when she got the news that she was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, and then again in October when that diagnosis was upgraded to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
She began chemotherapy on Oct. 28 at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, and in January she had a stem cell transplant from Ambria to help in her recovery from the blood cancer.
“Before I had that diagnosis, I never thought this would happen to me,” said Sabrina in an interview over the weekend, noting she rarely had to see a doctor for a health problem prior to this.
“Being able to treat and recover from this has given me more empathy for people who have cancer. I appreciate what I have, and I’m able to look for the good in anything,” she said, adding she is especially appreciative of the huge amount of support she has had from her family and friends through this past year.
Her sister Ambria and friends set up a Facebook page, The Sab Squad, and through this she was able to share photos and thoughts as she went through the treatments and recovery.
The support of friends and family was “huge to me. I never experienced any big health problem before this, and getting the care I received gives you a new appreciation of what your body can do and how our health care system takes care of you. I would say all of that support made my journey a lot easier,” said Sabrina, adding she knows a lot of people don’t have that support, other than the doctors and nurses in the hospital and cancer centre.
She had high praise for all of the health care professionals who helped her, noting she had a whole team comprised of nurses, doctors, pharmacists, lab techs and many others “who are rooting for you. Their dedication is so amazing, Saskatchewan has great health care.”
Her most recent blood tests showed she has full remission of the leukemia, but she also still has a ways to go to be fully recovered, as her immune system has to slowly rebuild itself to a strong level again.
Sabrina is still taking a prescription for post-transplant care, which has helped her body accept the stem cell transplant from Ambria. The first 100 days were the most critical, and she has now passed that date with good numbers in her blood tests.
Her white blood cell count is around 2-2.5, and for a normal healthy person, that count should be between 4 and 11, said Sabrina.
“I still can’t go shopping,” she said, noting she has to stay socially distanced from people when she does go out, as she is still susceptible to possible infections.
Even her diet is affected, as for example, some soft cheese have bacteria, or deli meats that have sat out in the air for any length of time.
She hasn’t been able to get a COVID vaccine shot yet, but was told she could have her first shot within the next month or so. Once her immune system is built back up, Sabrina will also have to be re-vaccinated with her childhood immunity shots again.
Asked how she’s feeling now, she said, “I noticed a huge improvement. I have less nausea, and overall I’m feeling a lot better.”
Sabrina had been very physically active prior to her leukemia, and hopes to eventually be able to get back to where she can play sports again. She recently was out kicking a soccer ball around with family and friends, but she’s not quite back to where she was before.
One marker of her recovery will be the removal of the Hickman Line that she currently has in her arm, a tube stent that allows up to three IV lines to be hooked in as needed. She’s been told that she might be able to have this gone by the beginning of August, and said, “I’m really excited for that.”
In terms of her schooling, she graduated as a geology engineer, and had started her master’s degree, but that was put on hold while she went through her treatments and recovery. She hasn’t decided when she’ll return to her studies, or if she’ll work for a year first before resuming her program.
“I’m just so thankful to have such a team behind me all the way through. That made such a difference, and for my family too, with so many people praying for us and supporting us,” said Sabrina.
