About
My name is Matthew C. Sheehan. In early summer 2009, I was diagnosed with an exceptionally rare blood disease. This is my story.
Contact me here. Submit your own healthcare story here.
On June 29, 2009, I was sent to the emergency room due to critical blood work. I spent three days in the hospital, where I received six blood transfusions, a bone marrow biopsy and phone calls from charming health insurance and billing representatives. I learned that my bone marrow is no longer producing blood cells, a disease called aplastic anemia. What exactly caused that, well, I may never know. What I do know is that for the next few years, I will endure a variety of treatments along with thousands of hospital hours and the bureaucracy and confusion of the U.S. health care industry. I’d like to share my story. Please come back often.
A PICC Line is a peripherally inserted central catheter. It gives intravenous access to the body when needed for any extended period of time. It is the point of entrance for blood transfusions, for chemotherapy, for a bone marrow transplant. I have a PICC line. It runs through a vein in my right arm directly to my heart, a link from the external to my internal; It is my promise that this forum will serve in the reverse.
I hope it offers a clear view of my experiences and that others can relate, those who have gone through a similar ordeal and those who haven’t.
I am a 2008 graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst where I majored in both biology and journalism. I graduated from Newton High School in 2004. Prior to diagnosis, I was an assistant to a pain management specialist in New York City, and a freelance writer.
