We Don’t Get to Ring the Bell: My CML Story

Anne McAuley Lopez thought life was pretty great. She was running her own professional writing business and starting a life with the man of her dreams. Then a simple blood test revealed more than she expected. Diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia just four months after getting married, Anne and her husband Eddie have moved from a place of shock to treatment, and to creating a life with a chronic condition.

Most cancer patients get to ring a bell after their last cancer treatment, but that’s not the case for CML patients. Anne McAuley Lopez, and her CML brothers and sisters, take a daily chemo pill to prevent the cancer from growing. While her cancer is undetectable, that isn’t a guarantee. Anne makes the most of every day. In her book We Don’t Get to Ring the Bell, she shares her CML experience while offering guidance and resources to other CML patients and their families. She encourages anyone struggling with CML or chronic illness to choose hope. Even if you don’t get to ring the bell, there is life after diagnosis.