COVID-19 and Hematology Patients Part 1

Part 1 of a three-part blog series written by our President Jennie Goble, who works within the hematology department at Mayo Clinic, on how COVID-19 is affecting hematology patients:

Fear. Insecurity. Anxiety.

These feelings are forefront in the community during this time of unrest due to COVID-19. For a patient with blood cancer, these feelings are amplified one hundred-fold. Living with a hematologic malignancy is often stressful even without a world pandemic. Blood cancer and treatment for blood cancer significantly suppresses the immune system and leaves the patient susceptible to infections. Without a natural defense system, infections can be severe and sometimes fatal. In some hematologic malignancies, infection is the #1 cause of death.

In the era of COVID-19, stress levels for hematology patients are at an all time high. These patients are the highest risk population for contracting infection and the most likely to succumb from the illness. They are also unable to completely self-isolate due to their medical needs. They have continual exposures due to necessary medical appointments.

The methods of social distancing, masking and hand sanitizing have been a standard way of life for hematology patients long before it has become a familiar nuisance to the general public. How can we help ease the fear and reduce the risks to hematology patients? As we are tempted to grumble about staying at home, drop our masks to our chin to breathe some fresh air, and skip the sanitizer just that one time; we need to remember that we are doing these things to protect those that stand to lose the most from infection. Thank you for embracing these relative minor inconveniences and doing your part to care for hematology patients!