Community Corner

'I'm a Fighter,' Ferndale Cancer Survivor Says

Linda Whitman participated Saturday in the Relay for Life at Ferndale High School.

You would never guess the challenges Ferndale resident Linda Whitman has endured during the past several years given the warmth of her smile and the grace of her presence.

The two-time cancer survivor who lost her husband and sister within a couple years of each other and takes a regimen of 30 pills a day to stay alive participated Saturday in the Relay for Life at Ferndale High School.

"I'm a fighter," said Whitman, a 34-year Ferndale resident. "I have four sons to live for and 10 grandbabies – well, the last one is due in September."

Whitman was diagnosed with the blood cancer known as acute myeloid leukemia in April 2010, just 15 months after Lonnie, her husband of 31 years, passed away.

"It was two shocks right in row," she said.

"When they found my AML leukemia, it was already fourth stage. They told me one more week and I'd have been dead. AML is three to four months from onset to death if you don't catch it," said Whitman, whose condition was discovered as a result of a routine cholesterol check. "At first, I had to convince myself I was sick. I was just determined it wasn't going to beat me."

Whitman said she received seven days of round-the-clock chemotherapy treatment that intentionally destroyed her malfunctioning immune system and forced her to stay in isolation. She underwent a bone marrow transplant in September 2010.

"(My bone marrow donor) is a real sweetheart," Whitman said. "I haven't met him yet, but I've talked to him on the phone. I've talked to his parents."

Several months after her transplant, Whitman faced another loss: Her sister, who was battling breast cancer at the same time and had been her confidant in their shared struggle, passed away.

The most recent blow came in January, when Whitman was diagnosed with cervical cancer and underwent laser treatment.

"At my three-month checkup, it was all clear," she said.

Whitman, a member of the Wild Walking Winners relay team, said she takes a cocktail of 30 pills daily, including six that prevent her body from rejecting its new, healthy bone marrow.

"You have to keep your spirits up because once you let the depression take over, you'll start to go downhill," said Whitman, who added being able to enjoy her family and friends is what keeps her motivated. "I tell caretakers to keep their spirits up because that's how they're going to make it through. 

"It's a long process and I'm lucky," she said.


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