32-Year-Old Mom Mistook Acute Myeloid Leukemia Symptoms for Pregnancy Pain—Now She’s Urging Others to Look Closer for Signs of Blood Cancer

At first, Hilmer assumed her symptoms—radiating pain down her arms, back, and legs—were typical pregnancy complications.

WATCH: What is Acute Myeloid Leukemia

“I thought that those were sciatica pains because sciatica is pretty common in pregnant women, especially towards the end,” Hilmer said. But when she began hemorrhaging and losing significant amounts of blood, her doctors ran additional tests that revealed the truth.

“The doctor said, ‘The labs came back from the sample that I just sent off, and it came back positive for acute leukemia.’ And I didn’t know what acute meant. All I heard was leukemia.”

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rare but aggressive cancer that affects the bone marrow—the body’s blood cell factory.

“When a person has a cancer of the bone marrow, such as acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes, that factory gets broken,” explained Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, chief of hematology at the University of Miami.

“Cancers grow, and they grow in an uncontrollable way,” Dr. Sekeres added.

Hilmer’s diagnosis revealed that roughly 60% of her blood cells were cancerous—placing her in the moderate to high-risk category. Despite the shock, she was able to deliver a healthy baby. But her postpartum experience was far from typical.

“I really, really wanted to be able to breastfeed my baby and, of course, I could not because I was receiving chemotherapy … that honestly broke my heart,” she said.

WATCH: What to Expect After a Stem Cell Transplant

Her treatment plan included chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant—a procedure that replaces damaged bone marrow with healthy cells.

“It feels and looks like nothing more than a blood transfusion,” said Dr. Caitlin Costello, hematologist at UC San Diego Health. “But it’s a moment we’ve spent weeks and months building up to.”

Finding a donor match can be a challenge, but Hilmer was able to undergo a successful transplant. Now, she’s sharing her story to raise awareness about listening to your body—especially when symptoms don’t feel quite right.

Understanding Danika’s Acute Myeloid Leukemia Diagnosis

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive form of blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow—the body’s blood cell factory. This is where stem cells develop into three essential types of blood cells:

• White Blood Cells (WBCs): Defend the body against infection.
• Red Blood Cells (RBCs): Carry oxygen to tissues and organs.
• Platelets: Help blood clot and prevent excessive bleeding.

Inside the bone marrow, stem cells mature into specialized cells through a process of self-renewal and differentiation. Myeloid progenitor cells are responsible for producing RBCs, platelets, and granulocytes (a type of WBC). In AML, this process breaks down.

AML specifically targets myeloblasts—immature cells that should develop into healthy blood cells. Instead, these myeloblasts fail to mature and begin to accumulate in the bone marrow and bloodstream. As a result, the body is left with dangerously low levels of functioning red cells, white cells, and platelets.

According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a diagnosis of AML typically requires that 20% or more of the cells in the blood or bone marrow are myeloblasts. However, in some cases, AML can be diagnosed with a lower percentage if certain genetic markers or abnormalities are present.

What to Expect During a Stem Cell Transplant

During a stem cell transplant, patients receive healthy donor cells through an IV infusion—similar to a blood transfusion. The IV drips donor bone marrow into the AML patient’s system, allowing it to enter the body through the bloodstream. These new cells travel through the bloodstream and begin the process of rebuilding the patient’s bone marrow. Most patients remain in the hospital for two to four weeks after the procedure so their care team can closely monitor how the new marrow is developing.

Side effects during this period can include extreme fatigue, nausea, and a weakened immune system. That’s where the medical team steps in to provide critical support.

“What we see on daily blood tests is that the patient’s bone marrow is shutting down,” explains Dr. Costello.

“Their immune system weakens, their body stops producing the blood cells it needs—the literal gas in their tank. That’s when we step in to keep them safe. We can give blood and platelet transfusions to keep that tank full,” Dr. Costello continued.

In addition to transfusions, patients also receive protective antibiotics to guard against infection while their immune system is at its most vulnerable and the new bone marrow begins to take hold.

How Doctors Detect Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Bone Marrow Biopsies

Symptoms of AML often stem from abnormal levels of red and white blood cells—both of which are produced in the bone marrow. When these cells aren’t functioning properly, patients may experience fatigue, shortness of breath, and frequent infections due to low oxygen levels and a weakened immune system.

To confirm a diagnosis, physicians perform a bone marrow biopsy. This procedure involves extracting both liquid marrow and a small chip of bone from the back of the hip to closely examine the cells inside.

“What we can do is actually make slides and look at cells underneath the microscope with our eyes to get a better sense of ‘are all the cells there, are the cells normal, do they look abnormal,’” explains Dr. Tara Lin, Director of the Acute Leukemia Program at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

“Then we do additional testing from there to characterize further any abnormal cells that may be present,” Dr. Lin added.

This microscopic analysis helps doctors determine whether AML is present and how advanced it may be—guiding the next steps in treatment and care.

Spotting a Relapse in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Why Vigilance Matters

For many patients with acute myeloid leukemia, remission isn’t the end of the journey.

“Unfortunately, for many patients with AML, their disease will come back, and we call that a disease relapse,” says Dr. Lin.

“It’s really important that when a patient has a relapse of their disease, they see someone who has a lot of experience in treating AML,” Dr. Lin added.

WATCH: What Are The Symptoms of Relapse in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Relapse symptoms can vary, but common warning signs include:

• Fatigue and shortness of breath
• Easy bruising or bleeding due to low platelet counts
• Anemia from reduced red blood cells
• Frequent infections caused by low white blood cell levels
• To catch relapse early, patients in remission are closely monitored.

“If I have a patient with AML who’s in remission, I will follow their blood counts really closely,” Dr. Lin explains. “And if I see a drop in any of those normal counts, I will be prompted to get a bone marrow biopsy to look for disease relapse—earlier rather than later, before the patient develops symptoms.”

This proactive approach helps ensure that any recurrence is identified and treated swiftly, giving patients the best chance at continued recovery.

Treatment Options After Experiencing a Relapse

When acute myeloid leukemia (AML) returns, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.

“When you go to the national guidelines for AML and relapse, there is no one standard of care,” Dr. Lin says.

“Very often we will recommend that a patient consider a clinical trial to learn more about new therapies that may be more effective at the time of disease relapse,” Dr. Lin continued.

• Standard Therapies
  • For patients opting for traditional treatment, oncologists may recommend a different chemotherapy regimen than what was used during initial diagnosis.
  • “Several different chemotherapy regimens use different combinations of drugs,” Dr. Lin explains, “and they may be different from what the patient received the first time.”
• Relapse After Long-Term Remission
  • If a patient has been in remission for 18 months or longer, doctors may revisit the original induction therapy.
  • “We will very often go back to their original regimen to try to get them back into remission,” Dr. Lin says.
• Relapse After Short-Term Remission
  • For patients whose remission lasted only a short time, a new strategy is needed. “We will not go back to the treatments they’ve already had,” Dr. Lin notes.
  • “We try to come up with something different so we can target the leukemia in a whole new way.”
• The Curative Option: Stem Cell Transplant
  • Regardless of the relapse scenario, one goal remains clear: remission.
  • “For all patients of AML who have a relapse of their disease, we know that the only curative option is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant,” Dr. Lin explains. “A stem cell transplant works best when patients are in remission. So the first goal when someone is in relapse is to get them back into remission.”

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