Ben Ottum
As a freshman at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, the only things Ben Ottum, La Crosse, Wis., worried about were his class load and adjusting to college life. Everything changed in December 2002, when Ben was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) at the age of 19.
Ben returned home after his first semester for Christmas break on December 23rd feeling weak and run-down. His mother, Joyce, noticed Ben appeared smaller than before. Later that day, Ben fainted on the kitchen floor, and his mother quickly rushed him to St. Francis Hospital in La Crosse.
Doctors at St. Francis found Ben to have an extremely high white blood cell count and immediately recommended the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His doctors at the Mayo Clinic quickly confirmed the diagnosis of ALL, and Ben began chemotherapy treatment to remove the excess white blood cells.
ALL is a common form of leukemia caused by a change in bone marrow cells. The disease occurs when bone marrow produces too many immature white blood cells, known as blast cells. This overproduction of blast cells limits the ability of the body to produce normal red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. As a result, a person often suffers from anemia, frequent infections and easy bruising. About 4,000 new cases get diagnosed in the United States each year, with the majority of cases found in children under the age of 10.
Because Ben was diagnosed at 19, he had a higher chance of survival as most people diagnosed with ALL after 18 have been found to respond well to chemotherapy drugs and treatments. A team of six doctors counseled Ben and his family and discussed treatment options. Ben and his parents, Joyce and Blaine, chose a normal cycle of chemotherapy. He remained in the hospital from December 23rd to January 16th during this inductive phase of chemotherapy.
After his stay, Ben and Joyce traveled back and forth to Rochester for his treatment. During the two-week cycle of chemotherapy, his blood counts dropped considerably and he received red cells, plasma, platelets, hemoglobin and anti-thrombin 3. Over the course of his treatment, Ben received blood products more than 40 times from 111 different donors. Joyce often remarked Ben noticeably walked faster, became more active and gained the color back in his face after his transfusions.
Ben is quick to thank the 111 blood donors who helped make his recovery possible.
"I don't think people understand what life they are saving," says Ben, a pre-pharmaceutical student at UW-La Crosse. "It is harder to see the need [for blood] when it doesn't really affect you."
While in remission, Ben has completed a 100K bike tour for Eagle Bluff Elementary and a Du-athalon, where he ran six miles and biked 17 miles. "I couldn't run one more step without all of the blood donors who helped save my life," he says.