The doctor eyed the anxious Vivian and gestured at her to come inside. Solemnly, he sighed. "You need to be mentally prepared for this. Your mother is diagnosed with leukemia."
"What?" At the sound of the word "leukemia," Vivian felt her mind go blank. How is this possible? How can my mother be diagnosed with leukemia, of all things?
The doctor continued. "You should also know that your mother has been in poor health and that we initially found that she had symptoms of anemia. Upon further examination, her test results indicated that she had abnormal blood tissue. All this points to leukemia."
"What should I do, doctor? Is my mother's life in danger?" Vivian sent out a fervent prayer in silence, hoping that Rachel would be alright.
"It's hard to say, for now. But to treat this, we'll need bone marrow from a matching donor."
"Use mine!" said Vivian hurriedly. "I am her daughter, so my bone marrow should match hers!"
The doctor raised a hand to calm Vivian down. "You being a relative does not guarantee a match, but since you are an immediate family member, the probability should be higher. However, you still need to go for a physical examination and a DNA test."
"I'll do that right away." The possibility of treatment gave Vivian a slight tinge of hope. "Please do whatever you can to save her!"
"Please be assured that we will do everything we can." The doctor turned away and signalled for a nurse. "Jane, kindly escort this lady to the lab for a bone marrow compatibility test."
After repeatedly thanking the doctor, Vivian then followed the nurse out of the office.
She was subjected to a series of numerous tests, from bloodwork to X-rays and a DNAtest. Vivian patiently endured the series of poking and prodding before it was finally over.
"Any news, doctor? Am I a compatible donor?" In a fit of nervousness, Vivian did not realize that she had grasped her examiner by the arm and was shaking him vigorously.
The doctor gently shook off her hand tried to reassure Vivian. "It'll be a while until the results are out, so don't worry. We'll notify you the moment they're ready. You must be patient."
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