The background

Ceomi was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (type M5) while on vacation in Chicago on 12/26/08. She was admitted to Northwestern's Prentice Women's Hospital for 3 1/2 weeks and received induction chemotherapy.

Her bone marrow biopsy at the end of chemo was clean indicating that the leukemia was temporarily beaten down. Her doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant (stem cell transplant in the current lingo) as her best course of treatment.

Ceomi was released and went home to SC at the end of January. Her treatment was transferred to the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory in Atlanta. She underwent a round of consolidation chemo there in early February.

Her brother Clayton is a match and will be donating stem cells to her in mid-March. She will be spending approx. 10 weeks in Atlanta receiving treatment with the time divided between a hospital stay and outpatient treatment.