Hey y’all let me introduce myself, my name is Abbey Stimer and I am a 2005 graduate of Tekonsha High School (don’t do the math just know I do not qualify for a senior discount yet, that is all you need to know). You may also recognize me from my time spent with the Tekonsha Fire Department or as a former assistant coach for your very own Tekonsha Indians softball team or more recently on the sidelines cheering for my niece Lillie or nephew Ryder (and someday soon Fiona too, can’t leave her out) I also spent nearly 9 years as an Emergency Telecommunicator better known as a 911 dispatcher for Calhoun County 911 before the inevitable happened.
Before I get to that most recent “inevitable”, a little back story. In 2015 I became very ill. I will spare you the long drawn out story of symptoms, diagnosis and treatment but I love to give flowers whenever I can and it would be lost on me to not mention how this journey all began. As I mentioned I became very ill and in the process one of my closest friends, maybe you’ve heard of her, Ashley Hamilton (formerly Smith) your very own Tekonsha Elementary kindergarten teacher became concerned by how sick I had become while we were hanging out one night. Long story short, she made me go to the hospital. That night I had every intention of going home, going to sleep, and the fact of the matter is I likely would have never woken up. She saved my life that night and will forever be one of my biggest heroes for that and so much more over the years. At just 4 days shy of my 28th birthday I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and spent the next month in the hospital fighting for my life. After many months of chemo treatments and testing I went into remission and stayed that way for nearly 10 years.
Now, nearly present day, in December of 2024 I went for a general checkup with my Hematologist. I was sick, not with cancer, at least not yet. I had a pretty bad sinus infection that had gone untreated due to the extreme demands of my job as a dispatcher and not having the time to go to the doctor for it. We did the standard labs and what would know they came back a little wonky. My doctor had hope that they were just “off” due to the infection but because of my history we decided to start me on antibiotics for the sinus infection and continue regular monitoring of my labs for a period of time. As the next couple months carried on I had labs done regularly and each time they were a little worse and things became a little more alarming. Eventually, a bone marrow biopsy would confirm things were in fact not good. In short, I was diagnosed with Myelodyplastic Syndrome (MDS) which is considered a form of bone marrow failure. My bone marrow was not producing the blood cells needed to sustain life. I would need a bone marrow transplant.
The bone marrow transplant process is grueling, requiring a lot of testing, appointments, and time to get everything organized including locating a donor. During that process I was matched with a 23 year old male from the U.S.A. but that is all I know about my second life saver. The last step in the transplant preparation process is another bone marrow biopsy to confirm the MDS had not progressed to any form of Leukemia. That test typically takes about 1-2 weeks to come back. I had had some change in symptoms and questioned what the results would say and how it would impact the transplant process. I did the test on a Thursday and on Friday morning almost exactly 24 hours after the biopsy I got a call from my doctor themselves saying everything was canceled, I needed to come in the following Wednesday and to pack a bag because they would be keeping me.
I showed up that June Wednesday, bag packed, and cousins in tow for support while my hematologist broke the news. I didn’t just have AML again, I also had another form called Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (ALL). Yup, you read that right, I had two forms of leukemia at the same dang time. My doctors and I joke all the time that I like to hang in the “rare” 2% range of things a lot of the time but this situation landed me in a fraction of a fraction of a percent range. It's extremely rare to develop two forms at once! As such, I needed to get rid of the leukemias before I could have the transplant I still ultimately needed. We immediately began the treatment process where I had the pleasure of spending another month at Mott’s Children’s Hospital ending with another bone marrow biopsy. Those results were not what we had hoped for and I still had both forms of leukemia.
My options were limited…actually I really did not have any options at all. We had hoped I could do an Immunotherapy to fight one of the leukemias but only if the other was taken care of by the chemo…which was not the case. My only choice was taking a chance on the transplant. So that is what we did. In August of 2025 I went back in to the hospital and began another round of chemo, the most the FDA approves at one time to wipeout my bone marrow making way for my donor’s. Because of the bizarre timeline of events my donor donated his marrow when he was ready and they cryogenically froze it to preserve it until my body was ready. On August 28th, 2025 I was given another chance at life!! I went from a B+ blood type to A+ (my donor’s blood type) and now have two different DNA strands throughout my body, his in my blood, and mine in my tissue and hair.
Since then, I have been on what I refer to as a rollercoaster with no exit or at least I haven’t been able to find it yet. I am leukemia free otherwise known as in remission! Praise the Lord!! But I have since developed Chronic Graft vs Host Disease (cGVHD) which in a nutshell is a form of rejection where the graft (donor cells) see me (the host) as foreign and cause my white blood cells to attack my healthy tissue. In my case it is effecting my connective tissue at my joints. Imagine the worst tendonitis you’ve ever had and then spread that to every spot a bone connects to another bone. I have the best team of doctors and they very quickly began aggressively treating it where I joined a drug trial for a medication already FDA approved for treating GVHD. I am doing much better now than I was when this loop of the rollercoaster began. The adventure continues!
To my family, especially my cousins Rashalle and Ashley (or Sparkles as I lovingly call her), my friends, this little town with the big heart, and prayer warriors: Thank you seems so insufficient! I would not be here without your tireless support and endless prayers! To my nieces, nephew, and the other kiddos in my life that give me so much purpose and hope to cling to, you are my why!! You keep me going and give me reasons to get out of bed each day and keep fighting. To Tekonsha volleyball, I am honored you thought of me! As an alumni, this school will always hold a special place in my heart. Lastly, to my mom who passed away the last week of my junior year 2004, you taught me what true perseverance, grace, resilience, and faith look like and without those 16 short years I would most assuredly not be the person I am today and I owe it all to you.
I’ll leave you with this, if my experience has taught you one thing I hope it is to keep LIVING!! I feel a little like a cat with 9 lives and I try hard not to take that for granted. Seize opportunities as they come, work hard, say yes to adventures, and never stop finding time for the things that bring you the most joy!! Time is our most precious commodity, the thing you spend that you can never get back or make more of, so spend it wisely! Life isn’t about the beginning or the end date its about how you fill that dash that split the two.
God is good all the time!! Philippians 4:4-7 and Go Indians!!!
