About AYA Unfiltered: The Jackson Copeland Foundation exists to help Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) leukemia patients navigate the overwhelming nature of this terrible disease. AYA Unfiltered is our commitment to telling the whole truth. In this series, we highlight the good, the bad, and the ugly side of leukemia as a young adult—sharing stories of triumph, stories of loss, and the messy reality in between. Today’s story is by young adult leukemia survivor and Vice President of The Jackson Copeland Foundation, Gabriella Sears:
My story began in March of 2022, after countless instances of feeling run down and not quite like myself. I developed another sore throat and went to urgent care, where I was diagnosed with strep throat and prescribed a short course of antibiotics. In the days that followed, I began experiencing severe abdominal spasms, which were later determined to be the result of an enlarged spleen caused by the influx of abnormal white blood cells in my body.
One night, my parents brought me to the emergency room around midnight. I thought I would be home the next day. Instead, I would not leave the hospital for another month.
After countless blood tests, a three-hour MRI, and the sudden appearance of unexplained bruising across my body, I was diagnosed with leukemia. I was immediately transported to Beth Israel in Boston, where I learned that I had acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a high-risk KMT2A mutation.
I was just 22 years old.
I had recently graduated from college and was beginning to figure out what I wanted my life to look like. I was starting my career and finding my footing as a young adult when, suddenly, everything I knew was turned upside down. I was in that strange period of life where I was still living at home with my parents, had never been in a serious relationship, and was just beginning to build an independent life for myself. Almost overnight, I found myself completely dependent on my parents again. I quickly reverted to being their little girl, needing their constant care, support, and reassurance.
I was soon identified as needing a stem cell transplant, and the search for a donor began. With only a 25% chance of finding a full sibling match, my amazing older brother was a perfect 12/12 match.
After three rounds of intensive chemotherapy, I endured severe nausea, fevers, hair loss – which was personally one of the hardest parts for me – countless days and nights in the hospital, and more challenges than I ever could have imagined. Then, on June 16, 2022, I received my second chance at life through a stem cell transplant from my brother.
Today, I am more than four years out from my transplant, and I am incredibly grateful for the life I have been given.
But survivorship has not always been easy.
I have dealt with graft-versus-host disease and the challenge of rebuilding my physical strength and endurance from the ground up. I struggled deeply with my appearance as my hair grew back, and for a long time, I felt like I wasn’t fully myself. It was difficult to move forward when the person I saw in the mirror was a constant reminder of what I had been through.
I have also struggled significantly with the mental and emotional aftermath of cancer. I have spent years in therapy working through severe health anxiety and the persistent fear of relapse. There are still days when something as small as finding a bruise can send me into a spiral that feels incredibly difficult to escape. It is something I continue to work on every day, and I have learned that survivorship is not simply about being cancer-free – it is also about learning how to live with everything cancer leaves behind.
Cancer also changed my future in ways I never anticipated. Now engaged to the love of my life, I am navigating infertility and early menopause as a result of my treatment. At just 26 years old, I had to begin confronting decisions about my future family that I never expected to face so young.
Cancer took a lot from me. But it gave me a lot, too.
It introduced me to an incredible community of young adults who understand the unique challenges of navigating cancer at an age when you are supposed to be building your life, not fighting to keep it. I have found support through online communities, made lifelong friendships with other cancer survivors, and connected with organizations that have helped me feel less alone.
Through Blood Cancer United, I was able to connect with other young adults going through similar experiences and, in turn, help others navigate the fear, uncertainty, and isolation that comes with a diagnosis.
One of the most meaningful relationships of my cancer journey began in an unexpected place: an anonymous Reddit profile. That is where I met Jackson. We connected over our shared hopes, fears, and experiences, and quickly became friends. Although we never had the opportunity to meet in person, we walked through our cancer journeys together virtually and became an important source of support for one another.
When Jackson sadly passed away, his family graciously invited me to speak at his services, despite the fact that we had never met in person. It was one of the most profound honors of my life.
In 2025, Jackson’s family invited me to become part of the Jackson Copeland Foundation – to help provide support and relief for young adults facing leukemia and to help advance research toward a future where no one has to experience what Jackson, I, or so many others have endured.
Being part of the Foundation allows me to turn one of the most painful experiences of my life into something meaningful. Through Jackson’s memory and my own experience, I am determined to live life to the fullest, love to the max, and never take my physical or mental well-being for granted.
I cannot change what happened to me. But I can choose what I do with the life I was given.
I intend to make it count.
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