In a recent episode of the Healthful Woman podcast, Dr. Nathan Fox spoke with Jodi Eisner about her daughter Annie’s leukemia diagnosis, her courageous cancer journey, and the creation of the Annietober365 Foundation in her memory.
About Annie
Annie’s mother, Jodi, described Annie as someone who “exuded sparkle,” with a love for dance, sharp wit, and a heart full of compassion. From a young age, Annie was dedicated to helping others, raising money for pediatric cancer and cancer cell research by selling homemade cookies with her mother, a passion she carried forward throughout her life.
Annie’s Diagnosis and Bone Marrow Transplant
Annie’s health journey began on January 1, 2020, at the age of 17, when she developed a high fever. After urgent care sent her to a hospital across the street, testing revealed dangerously low blood cells and platelets, red blood cells, and abnormal white blood cells, and she was diagnosed with leukemia. Her condition, involving abnormal blood cells crowding out healthy ones, required urgent treatment. She soon went to Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK). Under the care of Dr. Peter Steinhardt, Annie underwent frequent transfusions and ultimately received a bone marrow transplant and stem cells from her family member Lainey. Bone marrow transplants aim to replace the diseased blood or bone marrow with healthy donor cells.
Annie’s Cancer Journey
Despite her diagnosis, Annie remained focused on living life fully. Friends frequently gathered at her home after school, and her mom invited friends to the hospital during transfusions, bringing joy to her recovery. When March 2020 hit, she no longer had the same social support due to the pandemic, which also challenged her immune system. She received a bone marrow transplant from her sister Lainey in July 2020. She returned to school in fall 2020 but experienced a relapse in early 2021 despite her previous cancer treatment, when leukemia cells resurfaced. After receiving an umbilical cord blood transplant, Annie developed post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, a rare but serious complication in which abnormal cells multiply and threaten recovery.
Annie’s Accomplishments
Annie achieved her dream of attending her high school graduation, leaving the hospital the night before walking across the stage. Despite dealing with leukemia symptoms like fatigue and weakness, Annie’s determination never wavered. She was accepted to 12 colleges and chose Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, where she lived independently and thrived. Her overall health remained a concern, but her spirit remained resilient. While at Syracuse, Annie became a radio show host and a campus ambassador for Gift of Life, helping to raise awareness about the critical need for bone marrow donations to save patients battling blood cancers. Annie endured many complications from losing her hair three times during chemotherapy, to having infections, skin rashes, seizures, and learning how to walk, stand, and sit again. Annie’s determination and sparkling spirit shone on through her cancer battle. Annie’s cancer journey was difficult, and she passed from complications of her transfer.
Annie lives on through the Annietober365 foundation, raising awareness for cancer treatments, clinical trials, research, and helping people find life-saving transplants. Choosing to become a donor is an informed decision that can change a person’s life. Jodi emphasized the disparity in match rates for these life-changing procedures, “If you’re Caucasian, you have about a 79% chance of finding a match. If you’re black, you have a 29% chance of finding a match in the registry. AAPI, 47%. Hispanic, 48%.”
Annietober365 Foundation
The Annietober365 Foundation was established to honor Annie’s spirit and mission. Jodi shares, “So the mission of the Annietober 365 Foundation is to, one, live every day like it’s your birthday. Two, it’s to help people be able to celebrate more birthdays by funding cancer research for prevention and new treatments. And three, to help find more matches for people in need of a transplant, because on the day you get your transplant, you celebrate a second birthday.”
Learn More
To learn more about Annietober365 and hear Annie’s story, listen to the Healthful Woman podcast Annietober365 and the Gift of Life with Jodi Eisner today.
