Move for MDS Tampa, a 5K at Gadsen Park, raised more than $45,000 to help people living with myelodysplastic syndromes, a rare blood cancer.
"It's a bone marrow disorder. Your bone marrow makes your blood, and when it doesn’t work when you have MDS, then you have problems with your blood," Sara Tinsley-Vance, an advanced practice registered nurse at Moffitt Cancer Center, told ABC Action News.
On average, 33-55 people are diagnosed with MDS in the United States every day.
Kathy Till, an MDS survivor, had a stem cell transplant two and a half years ago at Moffitt.
Before her diagnosis, she noticed her blood levels had been going down for more than a year.
“They tell you you’ve got MDS, and you think, well, what the heck is MDS? Well, it’s a form of leukemia. And it’s a real shock when you’re told that," Till said.
In 2021, she was told she needed a blood stem cell transplant.
“Otherwise, you probably have a year to live. They just tell you," Till said.
About a year after the transplant, Till met her donor in San Antonio, Texas. To have the opportunity to meet her, Till said, was an emotional experience. She encourages people to donate blood stem cells to help other people like her survive.
“When something is rare, at first, it’s kind of scary," Teri Schwegman said.
Tinsley-Vance is not only her nurse but also her friend.
“I own my life to her, and she’s my angel," Schwegman said.
She was on a clinical trial and went in every week to visit with Tinsley-Vance from 2015 to 2023.
Schwegman's commitment to the trial, Tinsley-Vance said, will help others. More people like Schwegman are needed.
“That’s where you make a difference," Tinsley-Vance said.
Schwegman told ABC Action News she's gotten through with positivity, faith, and trust in places like Moffitt.
“Tomorrow is a new day," she said. "And there’s going to be a cure someday.”
