In addition to severe fatigue, Bill experienced stomach pain, kidney pain, dark urine, and dysphagia (difficulty swallowing). His symptoms made it difficult to eat and sleep. Soon, Bill became dependent on regular blood transfusions, which made day-to-day life all the more challenging. Still, as a married father of 3 with a demanding job, he pushed through each day and did his best to live life without focusing on his illness.
After years of managing his symptoms as best he could with blood transfusions—and periodic hospitalizations—Bill learned about a then investigational therapy that was undergoing clinical trials. He successfully enrolled in one of the trials in 2005 and soon began to see improvements in his symptoms. He remains on treatment today.
Bill and his wife Nancy are now enjoying their retirement years and looking forward to what life with their 3 grown children will bring. As Bill says, “I’ve got one life to live and I’m going to live it to the fullest.”