Two in a million: Shirley and Mia fight Aplastic Anemia

HENRY COUNTY — In early October 2022, doctors diagnosed Mt. Pleasant High School Freshman Mia Gray with the rare condition of Aplastic Anemia.

After hearing about Mia’s journey, James (Jim) and Shirley Hancock of New London felt compelled to reach out to Mia’s family and share their story as well.

April 2021, Shirley received an Aplastic Anemia diagnosis.

The National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) reports the frequency of occurrence for this diagnosis as “about 2 out of every 1 million people in the United States diagnosed with aplastic anemia each year.”

With a the United States Census numbers stating just over 3.2 million people live in the whole state of Iowa, having two Aplastic Anemia diagnoses within 18 months for the state is surprising.

Even more so, both of these women reside in a county of just over 20,000 individuals.

According to Jim and Shirley, she became sick in January of 2021. At this point Shirley’s heart raced and she could not catch her breath.

Shirley refused to let her husband take her into the hospital that first weekend as she had an appointment already scheduled for Monday, and had no idea just how serious things were.

“I am bruising like crazy,” Shirley told her primary doctor.

As a woman who has taken insulin shots for a long time, she found that for the first time she would bruise from her shots.

When her doctor at Henry County Health Clinics heard about Shirley’s symptoms, she sent her to have lab work done.

When the lab work came back, her doctor informed Shirley she needed to call Jim to come pick her up and take her to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

“She didn’t have a diagnosis, she just knew that this was a severe problem,” Shirley recalled. “What she found out from the lab work was that my hemoglobin was four and my platelets were 3.1.”

According to the Mayo Clinic a normal hemoglobin range for an adult woman is between 11.6-15 grams per deciliter. Shirley’s platelets were also dangerously low.

Jim drove Shirley to the University Hospital. When they arrived, Shirley went into the cancer and immune-compromised wing of the hospital to run tests.

A lot of the early diagnosis process for Shirley consisted of eliminating many other concerning conditions.

Much like Mia, doctors checked Shirley for Leukemia and other cancers.

Before her diagnosis, the University released Shirley. She went home to New London and began receiving blood transfusions that kept her alive.

Shirley would go to HCHC at 8 a.m. for labs. The doctors would run her numbers and determine if she then needed to come back that afternoon for a transfusion.

When Shirley and Jim went back to the University for more information, Jim said the doctor walked in the room and told them, “It’s not cancer, but it is serious.”

Once doctors determined Shirley was one of the few suffering from Aplastic Anemia, they began a variety of treatments.

The first treatment Shirley tried consisted of taking one pill a day of Promacta that is used to help stimulate the bone marrow to produce new blood cells.

While Shirley still needed blood transfusions multiple times a week, Shirley tried other medications like ATG for treatment because she was not a candidate for bone marrow transfusions.

Mia currently waits for more information to see if ATG has helped with her own Aplastic Anemia.

“Mia is now going on her 5th month battling her Aplastic Anemia,” Mia’s parents said. “She just had her 2nd bone marrow aspiration and biopsy on Monday Jan. 31 to see if there has been any progress from the ATG treatment she had in November.”

“This tells us if we need to proceed with the bone marrow transplant,” they said. “As of this week we will be holding off to try and see what her body will do in the upcoming weeks.”

“Her bone marrow has had an increase in productivity but her blood work results show differently,” Mia’s parents said. “Over the last month she has had steady increase in platelets but a decrease in red, white and reticulocytes counts along with other decreased levels.”

“Moving forward we don’t have an exact plan as we are not sure of what her body is actually doing,” they said. “We are watching her levels closely at her weekly appointments and she’s receives blood and platelet transfusions when needed.”

While Mia and her family aren’t exactly sure what their next steps are, there is some comfort in knowing that Shirley has gone through many of the same experiences.

Right now, Shirley is functioning. She no longer has to receive blood transfusions multiple times a week.

Following her last visit to the University this past January, Jim and Shirley finally saw her lab numbers increasing.

While her doctors no longer believe that can cure Shirley’s particular Aplastic Anemia, they are confident that it is manageable.

Both Shirley and Mia’s families are grateful for the support they’ve received from this community, but still implore people to get out and donate blood.

For people these two Aplastic Anemia fighters, blood donation from others is essential to their survival.

“The donation of blood and platelets is so very important not only for Mia and other aplastic anemia patients but for everyone in need of them,” Mia’s parents said.

According to the Red Cross, “Your blood donations are used for patients in need of surgery, cancer treatment and transfusions for blood loss from traumatic injuries.”

According to Mia and Shirley, your donations are used for people just like them.

To locate a blood drive near you, visit www.redcross.org

To donate to Mia’s journey with Aplastic Anemia visit her Facebook page, “Mia's Journey with Aplastic Anemia” and follow the Go Fund Me link.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com