It was an accidental - but fortunate - diagnosis. Becky Raczkowski, then age 28, was scheduled to have her tonsils removed. But when pre-surgical blood work showed her platelet level was dangerously low, her doctor recommended that she check herself into the hospital immediately.

"I thought I was healthy. I felt great, just a little more tired than normal. I was running regularly, dating, had just finished my MBA, and was on a good career track. I remember thinking, 'I don't have the time to be sick right now'." But she was sick, very sick. Further testing resulted in a diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a group of diseases that affect the bone marrow and can progress to acute myeloid leukemia. Becky's only chance for a cure was a blood and marrow transplant.

Since Becky was building her life and career in Western New York, she decided to receive her treatment at Roswell Park rather than return home to her family in Massachusetts. Her mother came here to live and be her at-home caregiver. On November 18, 1998, Becky received a transplant and spent four weeks at Roswell, and then another twelve months recovering at home. "I remember feeling so frustrated and impatient during that time, because I basically had to stop everything else going on in my life to focus on treatment and recovery."

Today, the 36-year-old East Amherst resident says she is happier, healthier, and more balanced than before her transplant. She left a consulting job for a more lifestyle-friendly position as an audit manager for a regional health care insurer. She also began running marathons. The young executive finished her first marathon just one year after her transplant, with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program.

 "Crossing that finish line was one of my happiest and proudest moments. It showed my parents, and proved to myself, that I really was OK. They were simply glowing with happiness and relief." To date she has completed seven marathons and three half-marathons, and plans to run the San Diego Marathon in June. As part of the Team in Training she has raised nearly $25,000 to date for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to support research, education and patient aid.

Becky met her husband almost three years ago through a mutual friend, it was love at first sight and they were married in July. She and her husband regularly take their two dogs, Baxter and Zack, on runs with them, and she has generally resumed her high intensity life style.

Becky's message of hope for the holiday: “I can vividly remember being at mile 22 in my first marathon, which I walked and slowly jogged due to poor post-transplant lung capacity. My Team in Training coach was there with me, encouraging me to really push myself up a long, gradual hill in the 80 degree sun, and she jokingly asked me if I'd ever do another marathon again. The first thing I thought was, ‘Heck yes! Next year I'm going to RUN this marathon!’ And I did. Going through my transplant helped me to realize that there is no reason to fear or back away from a challenge or a difficult situation in life, since it's these experiences that enable us to grow and learn more about ourselves - and that kind of lesson is priceless.”