The CML Boat: CML Game Day

We have all heard the term, “Up shit creek without a paddle”, right?  As well as, “Paddle your own canoe”? 

Well, when you have CML it is nice to know that we are not rowing our boats, or our canoes alone. There are others out there; just like us.

I know that there are many different groups that have formed on Facebook and in forums, and that we all have friends and family, and medical professionals on our side; but in my opinion, meeting another person with CML is paramount.  

It was just last weekend, three years after being diagnosed with CML that I met another person, face to face, who is also living with CML. There is something very comforting about knowing you are not in your boat alone, that there are others, just like you; they share the same hopes and dreams, fears and side effects, AND they understand exactly what you are going through. They can relate on a level that only another person, with the same ailment, can.

Plain and simple, they “get you”!

Some days you just need a CML brother or sister to say, “I know what you are going through, I have been there and felt  the same way”, this not only reassures you, it also allows you see that they survived!  On the flip side, some days you will be the ray of sunshine for others.

Meeting others face to face really brought reality home; none of us are alone. We are a small group, only 25,000-ish in the United States. With any luck, more and more of us will be able to meet face to face; someday.

Novartis will be holding many Game Day Summits, across the United States, this year; these are free to CML patients and their caregivers. I highly recommend attending any of these summits and encourage you to bring your significant others’ with you. Meeting and sharing stories will beneficial to all who attend.

What is CML Game Day?

Team Ph+ CML Game Day is an Educational Program for Patients Living with Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (Ph+ CML) and Their Caregivers

You will not only come out of these events smarter; you will also leave with a sense of validation, understanding, confidence, security and peace.

Trust me; meeting others with CML is totally worth the effort to attend a CML Game Day!

Registration, Locations and Dates