Help Me Kick Aplastic Anemia’s Ass 🖤

Anybody who knows me knows asking for help is NOT my ministry. 😂 I’m usually the one helping, fixing, teaching, counseling, praying, pouring into everybody else and figuring my own shit out somewhere in between.

But this time, I need my village.

I was recently diagnosed with aplastic anemia , a rare and serious blood disorder where the bone marrow stops making enough healthy blood cells.

And no—this isn’t the “take some iron and you’ll be alright” kind of anemia. 😭 Your bone marrow is basically your body’s blood factory. Mine has apparently decided to go on strike.

My treatment starts with immunosuppressive therapy , medications designed to calm the immune system and hopefully allow my bone marrow to begin producing healthy blood cells again.

Then comes the big one: a bone marrow/stem-cell transplant.

In regular people language? Doctors will replace my damaged blood-forming stem cells with healthy ones from a compatible donor so my body can hopefully build a new, healthy blood-making system.

Basically, we’re replacing the factory and bringing in a whole new crew. 😂

Funny explanation aside, this is serious—and treatment doesn’t stop regular life from regular-lifing.

There will be medications, specialists, testing, procedures, transplant expenses, travel, recovery, time I’m unable to work normally, childcare, household expenses and all the unexpected costs nobody puts in the brochure.

So I’ve set a goal of $25,000 to help carry me and my family through treatment, transplant and recovery.

I’m not expecting one person to save the day. I just need my people to grab a corner.

$10 helps. $25 helps. $50 helps. Sharing helps. Praying helps. Connecting me with resources helps.

I’m scared, hopeful, prayerful and probably going to make inappropriate jokes throughout this entire process because apparently aplastic anemia did not cure my mouth. 😂

But I’m fighting.

I have babies who need their mama. I have work left to do, books left to write, students left to teach, people left to help, places left to go and entirely too much life left to live.

So we gon’ handle this.

If you’ve ever been loved by me, helped by me, prayed for by me, taught by me, laughed with me—or you simply feel led to help me get through this—I appreciate you more than I can put into words.

Donate if you can. Share if you can. Pray if you pray.

Everybody doesn’t have to carry me. I just need enough people willing to grab a corner. 🖤

—Blanco