From BMT Newsletter March 1995 Issue # 28 - BMTs for Chronic Myelogeneous Leukemia Reprinted by NYSERNet with Permission from BMT Newsletter
Shortly after deciding to undergo a bone marrow transplant, I treated myself to a toy I had been wanting for a long time: a personal computer. Little did I know the huge impact it would make on my recovery.
The computer I purchased came with software for accessing a commercial on-line service called America On-Line (AOL). I was fairly computer literate from my job, but had no experience with on-line services. I immediately became addicted to the interactive "chat rooms."
The "chat rooms" allow users to communicate with other people through the computer on virtually any topic they chose, from "Brewing Beer at Home" to "Analyzing the Stock Market" to "Living with Cancer." Each topic has its own "chat room" where participants "chat"-that is, type messages that appear instantly on the computer screens of all the people in the "room." I feel fortunate to have found the Living with Cancer chat room, where men and women from all over the country communicate with each other. I received tremendous support from the friends I made in this group.
Surprisingly, I also received support from a group of people who were not cancer patients and with whom I had never chatted. This unexpected support came from a group of people who chat in a room called "Forty Something". Via the computer, I had become friends with a man from Texas named Jim, who was an active member of the Forty Something Chat Room. Just before my hospitalization for the BMT, he wrote me a poem to express his support and sent it to another member of the Forty Something Chat Room. She, in turn, did a "mass mailing" of the poem via computer to approximately 60 people, and asked them to send me electronic mail (e-mail) to cheer me up.
I was so attached to the friends I'd made via the chat rooms that I took my computer with me when I went into the hospital for my BMT. The outpouring of kind wishes that came from these "angels on-line" was amazing. Here are some of the messages I received through my laptop computer:
"I don't know you well Wendy... but my heart, prayers and thoughts go with you through this journey. May you be strong throughout and healthy and happy at the end."
"Here's another Forty Something regular writing you a note out of the blue... Wishing you the best, wanting you to know you're in somebody's prayers." "I will be thinking and praying for you. My brother had a bone marrow transplant and is alive and well... Don't worry if you are too weak or just don't feel like talking with the Forty Something room. Use every bit of strength to get well!"
"Wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I will keep you in my prayers for a quick and speedy recovery. A lot of care and concern is for you to get healthy so you can be back out here among your friends."
I got through my BMT in record time, thanks to the support I received from my close friends and family and my "angels online"!
The electronic version of this document was created by NYSERNet, Inc. as part of the Breast Cancer Information Clearinghouse.