Country Singer Ashley Monroe Shares Emotional Post Revealing Blood Cancer Diagnosis
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Country singer Ashley Monroe shared an emotional post on Instagram revealing she has been diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer.
She said her doctor performed more tests after noticing her red blood cell count was falling.
Ashley opened up about her treatment plan for Waldenström macroglobulinemia. She wrote, "I flip that doom feeling on its head and think, wow, I’m thankful I have an illness that is VERY live with-able."
Country singer Ashley Monroe, 34, shared unexpected news with fans this week on Instagram: She has a rare form of blood cancer.
“A few months ago my dr. was doing some routine lab work and found that I was anemic,” she captioned photos of herself with family and friends. “I was like, FINE, I’ll just double up on cheeseburger patties, take some extra vitamins and call it a day,” she added.
But Ashley said that her red blood cell count continued to fall, even though her iron, B12, and folic acid levels stayed normal. That led her doctor to test her for cancer.
Ashley said she was given a bone marrow biopsy and was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer called Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM).
WM is a rare, slow-growing form of lymphoma that happens in less than 2% of people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, noting that there are about 5,000 new cases of WM diagnosed each year in the U.S.
The cancer usually impacts older adults and is often found in the bone marrow, although lymph nodes and the spleen may be impacted, too. With WM, lymphoma cells in the bone marrow grow and block normal cells, making it hard for the bone marrow to create normal amounts of red and white blood cells. That leads to anemia, i.e. low red blood cell counts, along with low levels of white blood cells and platelets.
WM is usually found accidentally when someone has a blood test, the American Cancer Society says, but it can cause symptoms like weakness, loss of appetite, fever, sweats, and weight loss.
“It’s causing my body to be pretty severely anemic, and I feel it,” Ashley said. “So, I start chemo tomorrow. Seems like such a negative thing to say. Until I flip that doom feeling on its head and think, wow, I’m thankful I have an illness that is VERY live with-able.”
“I’m thankful there IS a treatment that actually works to fight what is causing harm to my body,” she continued, before thanking her friends, family, and “angel son, who I am fighting for the most.”
She also added this caveat: “I would greatly appreciate if no one gave me any unsolicited advice or medical opinions. I’ve done my research and have amazing Vanderbilt dr’s I’ve weighed every option with. That’s why I was hesitant to post about it, but I could use the prayers and I DO believe in the power of prayer, guys.”
Ashley ended on this note: “I also believe in the power of love healing us all on an even deeper level. I love you all big. Here I go 💪🏼🙏❤️.”
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