Tammy's Fight

Tammy O’Reilly - Chapters 1 & 2 - Whirlwinds

A Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Wife, Mom, Friend to many, and MY Ride or Die!!! And to add to the list of words to describe this precious human is A FIGHTER.

Over the past couple of months, Tammy has not been feeling well. It started with a tooth she had pulled and after weeks of antibiotics in and out of the dentist and her primary care doctor, Tammy was not getting better. She was getting worse. Tammy said on a few occasions, “Something is wrong with me.” Her dentist referred her to a periodontist hoping to figure out what was going on in her mouth and why she was not healing and getting worse. The periodontist looked at her mouth and immediately reach out to her primary care for STAT blood work to be ordered.

The blood work results came back, and the results were not promising. Tammy was referred to another specialist and an appointment was made a week out… still progressively getting worse. On Monday, March 27th Tammy was at home and could barely lift her head as she was so weak and decided to go to the ER. At Kennestone, more blood work was drawn, fluids were administered, and she was given some blood while Tammy waited in pain and fear for the results.

It breaks my entire spirit and soul to share that Tammy was preliminarily diagnosed with Leukemia.

Admitted to the hospital, more blood and platelet transfusions as her numbers were very alarming and the doctors worked quickly to get her levels to stabilize with no immediate success. A bone marrow biopsy was performed to find out more answers and to determine what kind of Leukemia we were dealing with. After 3 days, it was confirmed that Tammy has AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia). This is the most serious type as it is an aggressive condition that develops rapidly.

Kennestone and the doctors were not able to treat this type of Leukemia. Tammy was transferred to Northside Hospital on Friday, March 31st, where she underwent another round of blood work, tests, scans, blood and platelet transfusions, and another bone marrow biopsy.

On Sunday, April 2nd, the Oncologist team presented Tammy with her initial plan. Tammy’s blood work and other tests had to meet a certain criterion for her to start the induction therapy. Induction therapy is the first phase that quickly rids the leukemia cells as much as possible. It is an intensive round of chemo for 7 days by IV (for about 4-6 hours per day) and also with pills. On Monday, April 3rd, Tammy began the Induction therapy.

Tammy will be on an extended leave of absence from her job. Her husband, Daniel has been by her side, but unfortunately, he does have to return to work overseas. Daniel is a military contractor who spends several months away in war-infested areas and then comes home for about a month but then goes back. Daniel is struggling to leave his family but knows that the family needs his financial support and insurance.

The rollercoaster ride for Tammy and her family has begun and this ride is very unpredictable. What we do know is that when she is discharged from the hospital, she will have to make daily trips to Northside for a variety of things: infusions, more tests, chemo…whatever else the Oncology Team has planned for her.

Tammy has been a staple for the North Paulding Wolfpack Football team for the past 4 years. For a few years, she had all 3 of her boys playing football at the same time. Tammy would show up. She would show up not only for her boys, but she would show up for ours. Tammy made it a point to make sure her pictures were inclusive to all the Wolfpack boys. She was always on the sidelines and at events capturing moments and memories of our boys. She asked for nothing…ever. Tammy did this because she knows how important moments in time mean to us. Tammy knows the importance of family whether it be by marriage or by the bond from the players on the field. Tammy is part of our Wolfpack Family.

I am reaching out to our amazing Wolfpack community to see how we can come together and support this family. This battle for Tammy and her family will be unpredictable, long, joyous, scary, and faced with setbacks, progress, wins, losses, celebrations, tears, etc… Let’s pay it forward for Tammy.

During one of my visits with Tammy, I asked her for her permission to write this letter and reach out to our community for support for her. She and I cried for a moment and her response was “Yes, we need people to donate platelets. Tammy continues and says, “I have taken so much blood and platelets and there is a shortage.” “We can give back to someone else needing this.” Tammy’s soul is so generous. As she fights for her own life, she is thinking about how she can help others.

We have set up this GoFundMe account for Tammy and her family to help with the financial burdens while they work their way through this unforeseen event. All donations will help with day-to-day expenses, new medical expenses, and transportation to and from Tammy’s appointment at Northside Hospital. The goal is to limit some of those burdens off Tammy so she can focus on her health and beat this disease.

Right now, there are 2 big asks…

1. Keep Tammy and her family in your prayers and on the prayer list.

2. Tammy has asked for people to donate platelets directly to Northside Hospital. Currently, the platelet inventory is extremely low. Tammy continues to get platelets around the clock every 4-6 hours.

I will continue to provide an update on Tammy. Once we have a solid plan in place, I will let each of you know how you can further support Tammy and her family. For now, please donate platelets (and blood) to Northside Hospital.

“For the strength of the pack is the WOLF, and the strength of the wolf is the PACK”

by Rudyard Kipling

Tammy Needs Platelet Donations.

The average patient fighting blood and bone cancer requires 50 transfusions during their treatment and recovery. You can positively influence TAMMY's health care by donating platelets and educating others about the need.

Please contact me directly if you are able and willing to donate. I will give you the details to help Tammy directly.