A Decade of Patient Proactivity and Physician Partnership

Mayra Andujar-Delgado is grateful to her physician, Dr. Faseeh Khaja, for how he kept both her and her caregiver, which was her husband, informed throughout her decade long cancer journey with myelofibrosis.

Mayra recounted her experience with myelofibrosis, which was marked by frequent ICU admissions. She emphasized the critical role of her husband, who acted as a caregiver and how Dr. Khaja informed them about medical procedures and potential treatments for Mayra. Mayra acknowledged the lack of knowledge about myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) at the start, which made the journey difficult for both her as a patient and for Dr. Khaja. She highlighted the importance of proactive patient engagement and the successful collaboration between her and her husband with Dr. Khaja, leading to positive outcomes.

Khaja was honored at the 2025 Blood Cancer Heroes event, which is dedicated to honoring those who make a profound impact on people living with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and myeloproliferative neoplasms/myelodysplastic syndromes. The event, which was hosted by CURE®, was held in partnership with Blood Cancer United, whose mission centers on elevating patient voices and strengthening community support for all individuals affected by blood cancers.

Transcript

My husband was my caregiver every step of the way, and he was every time that I went to the ICU, and I was admitted to the ICU often. [Dr. Khaja] made sure he informed, for instance, my husband, on what was happening with me, and what the follow-up was. What were the procedures to do next, and what were the possible treatments to do afterwards? We have to go back 10 years ago, when I was diagnosed, when I was first starting this health crisis journey. We didn't know as much as we know today about MPNs, so it was a rough, rough journey, not only for me as a patient, but for him as a doctor, trying to figure out what was wrong, what was the outcome, and what is [the step-by-step plan].

We me being proactive as a patient that's very important, and side by side, the two of us manage to work together and finally got good results.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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