Former basketball star learns he has rare BLOOD CANCER after visiting the doctor for spots –

An Iowa woman was shocked to learn that the small red dots on her arm and leg were signs of very dangerous blood cancer.

Helaina Hillyard, 20, from Mediapolis, Iowa, noticed in November 2021 that small red freckle-like spots appeared on her arms and legs, gradually enlarging and spreading within a few hours.

At first he thought it was a minor sports injury and went to the hospital to have him examined.

While there, he got the shock of his life to discover that he has acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a blood cancer that kills about a third of people suffering from this blood cancer.

20-year-old Helaina Hillyard (pictured) suddenly appeared with red spots on her arms and legs last November. Although he didn’t think much at first, when his sister told him to go, he went to the ED and then went to the ED.

“I didn’t believe it,” Hillyard wrote in her first-person report for the newsweek, where she detailed her evidence.

“At the ER they told me if I waited any longer to see the doctor, I could have a stroke and die.”

Hillyard, who gives. For his incredible play as a high school student in both volleyball and basketball, Hawkeye said he felt tired for weeks before the scores came out, but attributed that to a poor athlete. Sleep schedule.

His sister and brother-in-law were coming to watch his game when he first noticed the bumps. Although she didn’t think much of it, her sister was very worried.

Early in the morning, her older sister took her to the emergency room and she was immediately referred to the emergency room for blood tests.

The platelet count was low during the tests, so the doctors were extremely worried.

“When the doctor returned, he asked about my various symptoms, including bleeding from my gums,” Hillyard recalls.

“I told him that he was bleeding while using the tooth, and at that moment his face completely collapsed. I think he knew it was a sign of cancer.”

He was then transferred to a nearby cancer hospital and ended the night with a diagnosis of ALL.

The American Cancer Society reports that approximately 6,600 cases of ALL are diagnosed each year, linked to more than 1,500 deaths.

Children under the age of five are at the highest risk of cancer, as someone in their 20s is diagnosed with it. Cancer risk increases again after the age of 50.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Hillyard continued.

“I’m lucky to have my sister by my side because I can’t imagine getting this diagnosis and having a support system. In the ER they told me that if I waited any longer to see the doctor, I could have a cerebral hemorrhage and die.

Hillyard (pictured) plans to take two and a half years of chemotherapy to treat her leukemia

He later returned to Iowa for treatment, where he will undergo treatment for two and a half years, including five phases of chemotherapy that will take a total of 40 weeks.

Hillyard says she has remained positive despite the many side effects she has suffered from, including hair loss, mouth ulcers, dry skin, headaches and fatigue.

He hopes his condition improves enough to return to college this fall.

“I try my best to be positive most of the time but I’m really lucky to have such a wonderful family,” she said.

“I live with my family and they are amazing. I don’t know how to cope without them, without my sisters and friends. I think it’s good for my sanity to talk about it, not just to do it.

“Whenever I’m not feeling well, someone is checking on me. I certainly couldn’t have done this without a support system. I feel God is with me every step of the way”.