Hello everyone! I am Jessica and I was diagnosed with CML in July 2019.

From the very beginning I realized how lucky I was to be born in a moment and in a place where this diagnosis was not a condamn, but something I could still live a perfectly full and happy life with.

Even though I’ve been very lucky, both in terms of response to the therapy and of side effects, things were and are not always easy. There are side effects, there is the mental load of having to take pills every day, there is the constant status of alert when you have some weird symptoms.

Yet, I like to think that CML brought me more than it took away. It increased my hunger for life. It made me feel an infinite sense of gratitude for medical research, that literally keeps me alive every day. It gave me awareness and perspective: I realized how political sickness is and how important is the work of associations like the CMLAN, which focus on its often invisible aspects.

In these 6 years I have run marathons, bikepacked through Europe, tried every kind of crazy sport, changed Country and job twice, dealt with an incredibly unfair situation where I risked to lose a great job position due to a completely wrong understanding of my state of health and still had the  energies to fight to see my rights respected.

The Network helped me a lot through this journey, whenever I needed information or support. I hope that sharing my story is a little way to start giving back. 🙂

Social media link: https://www.instagram.com/unfit_jess