Diagnosis: Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
My name is Lou Longo and I am 37 years old. I am married to my beautiful wife Tracy and we have two boys – Trevor and Tyler who are now 7 and 5 years old. They were born two years and a day apart – November 7th and November 6th respectively. On November 8, 2002, I was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) and checked into Brigham and Women’s Hospital through Dana Farber that Saturday – immediately after the boys’ birthday party.

"In God's Hands Tonight
On November 10th, I was fitted with my first of 3 Hickman lines to administer the chemotherapy needed to hopefully save my life. That is my last waking memory until January 2nd the following year. Family and doctors have told me that after beginning chemotherapy, I developed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which was causing massive bleeding. They were not able to identify this for a few days and could not stop the chemotherapy. I needed unit after unit of blood and was then put on a ventilator and feeding tube. Doctors and nurses did everything they could and at one point told my wife and family “we have done everything we can for him medically, he is in God’s hands tonight”.

On December 24, 2002, I was declared in remission and the next 6 months consisted of subsequent chemo treatments, physical therapy and visits back and forth to ICU at Brigham and Women’s. With every chemo treatment came the need for blood and platelet transfusions and between the ARDS and chemotherapy, my doctors estimate I have received at least 50 units of blood during all my treatments.

Cancer Free and Life Couldn't Be Better
Today, I am cancer-free and life could not be better. I tell everyone that despite the trauma my body was put through, which had my Dana Farber doctors nickname me “Miracle Boy”, I had the easy part compared to the helpless feelings my family and friends went through.

Every Day Heroes
People every day sometimes use words or expressions out of context. Hero is one of those words. I have various heroes in my life and at the top of that list is my wife Tracy, who for seven weeks while I was unconscious in ICU, she managed to keep my boys upbeat and in a daily routine while she traveled from New Hampshire to Boston and back every single day just to be by my bedside. There are many doctors and nurses – too many to list – that are also my heroes for all they did for me and all patients. Finally, there are all those who made a choice in life maybe just once or time and time again to donate blood – those too are my heroes for which I will always be grateful.

Blood donors who give blood through the Red Cross help patients like Lou in cities and towns throughout New England and across the United States. Please….give blood. Together, we can save a life.

Patient Stories