A minor fall led to my leukemia diagnosis. Then, I became the third person in the country to get a new treatment.

• Donna Ford was diagnosed with leukemia after being treated for a brain bleed.
• She's the third patient to be treated with a new procedure.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Donna Ford. It has been edited for length and clarity.

When I fell on my bottom one day after work, I knew it should have been fairly minor. I'm a nurse, but I didn't think too much of it. And yet, my head felt awful.

It was so bad that I went to the emergency room, but they sent me home. The next day I vomited and heard a rushing noise in my ear. When I returned to the ER, things were much more serious. Doctors told me I had a subdural hematoma, a type of blood clot that puts pressure on the brain. They flew me to Memorial Hermann, a medical center in Houston about an hour and a half from my home.

Strangely, I was calm even when they put me on the medical flight. I knew this condition was dangerous, but I was reassured that they were taking it seriously. Little did I know this was just the beginning.

At the hospital, I was diagnosed with leukemia

My memory of arriving at Memorial Hermann is foggy. But I do recall doctors coming in with unexpected news: I had leukemia. It turned out the fall was likely a good thing because I was already pretty sick.

My husband and daughter immediately burst into tears. My medical training kicked in as I tried to tell them leukemia is treatable. For me, the diagnosis made a lot of sense. I had been tired all the time and had bone pain. I have spina bifida and a leg amputation, so I'm no stranger to pain. I had brushed the new symptoms off until the fall made them something I couldn't ignore.

My oncologist, Dr. Rios, explained that leukemia likely caused my hematoma. The hematoma put me at risk for serious complications like hemorrhaging. In the past, I would have had two bad choices: monitor for serious complications, or undergo risky brain surgery. But now there was a new, less invasive treatment option. I would be only the third leukemia patient in the country to try it.

Recovery from the procedure was easy; then I started chemo

For the procedure, a meningeal artery embolization, doctors put a catheter into an artery in my groin. The catheter traveled all the way to my brain, where it cut blood flow to the hematoma. I wouldn't have to worry about hemorrhage or invasive brain surgery.

When Dr. Rios explained that, I thought it was amazing. I knew that doctors could do some heart surgeries that way, but I had no idea they could access the brain.

Recovering from surgery was easy. Facing chemo was not. I was in the hospital for a month and then needed eight rounds of chemo. I had to take a three-month break after losing my insurance. That was so scary — I didn't know if I would have a flair-up and die. It was so frustrating to be unable to access care because of money.

Now, I'm back in treatment. I have one more round of chemo left. I'm looking forward to ringing the bell to celebrate the end of treatment this spring.

I'm proud to have an impact on medical treatments.

The past year has changed my life. I'm on disability now, and I know my career is over. That's sad, but I hope to stay relevant by helping my daughters, who both work in health care. I'll spend time looking after my eight grandbabies.

Despite those changes, I'm grateful. I've benefited from medical treatment my whole life. When I was born, my mom was told I would never walk because of my spina bifida, but I did because of treatment. Later, doctors were able to save me from infection by amputating my leg.

In my 20s, I decided to donate my body to science when I die. I'm so lucky to have the best medical care in the world. I'm proud to contribute to that legacy, by donating my remains and by becoming one of the first people to undergo a procedure that will help other patients in the future.