Penn State Graduate, Who Cheered For The Nittany Lions, Diagnosed With Acute Myeloid Leukemia At 22: ‘Believing In Better Days Ahead’

She captioned her post, featuring a photo of her in the hospital surrounded by her loved ones, “I’ve been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Right now, I’m fighting this with everything I have and am undergoing chemotherapy.

“This is going to be a tough road, but I’m incredibly lucky to have the most amazing support system standing beside me every step of the way. I’m taking this one day at a time, staying strong, and believing in better days ahead.”

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A post shared by Paris Shanabrough (@paris_malone)

She concluded, “Thank you to everyone who has supported me, prayed for me, checked in on me, and reminded me that l’m never fighting alone.”

Penn State Cheerleading also shared a heartfelt post, saying they “proudly” support Shanabrough—who they referred to as “Coach Paris“—in her AML fight.

The post read, “‘Coach Paris.’ class of 2026 Senior All Girl Captain, is known for her unmatched spirit, beast basing, and passion for cheerleading. As a Penn State Cheerleader, she was always there for her teammates, and we are proud to be here for her during this time.

RELATED: A New All Oral Treatment For AML On The Horizon For Patients Struggling To Withstand Chemo

“We ask for your prayers and support through the GoFundMe linked in our highlighted story! Say it with us… WE! WANT! PARIS!”

The GoFundMe, set up by Shanabrough’s identical twin sister Brooke Shanabrough, has since raised more than $22,000.

“My name is Brooke Shanabrough, and I’m creating this GoFundMe for my identical twin sister, Paris Shanabrough, who at only 22 years old has recently been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML),” her sister explained on the page. “Just weeks ago, our lives looked completely different.”

She described her sister as an “active 22-year-old” who has “spent years working incredibly hard toward her dream of becoming a doctor and was preparing to apply to medical school this summer.”

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A post shared by Paris Shanabrough (@paris_malone)

However, her diagnosis has forced her to put those plans and dreams on hold for the time being.

“Despite everything that has happened, her dream of becoming a doctor has not changed. This diagnosis may have temporarily changed her timeline, but it has not changed the future she has worked so hard for. She is determined to beat this, recover, return to the life she loves, and continue pursuing a career in medicine as soon as she is able,” Brooke wrote.

“Right now, our family’s biggest priority is making sure she can put all of her energy into getting healthy again. Unfortunately, cancer treatment comes with an enormous financial burden on top of everything she is already going through. Between treatment, hospital stays, medications, insurance costs, transportation, meals, time away from work, and the many unexpected expenses that come with leukemia treatment and recovery, those costs can quickly become overwhelming.”

Her family is hoping to raise $50,000 to help cover treatment and recovery expenses.

“If you are able to donate, no amount is too small. And if you aren’t in a position to donate, simply sharing her story can make an incredible difference. Every donation, share, prayer, message, and act of support means more to our family than we could ever adequately express,” said Shanabrough’s twin.

“This is not the end of the future she worked for. It’s an unexpected chapter in her story, and we are determined to help her get through it and back to everything she loves. Thank you for supporting my sister, believing in her future, and standing beside her as she fights AML.”

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A post shared by Paris Shanabrough (@paris_malone)

Understanding Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia, also known as AML, is a cancer that affects bone marrow the spongy tissue inside of your bones. It is a rare cancer overall, but it is the most common type of leukemia in adults. Children rarely get AML.

“To understand acute myeloid leukemia, you have to understand how the bone marrow works,” Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, former director of the Leukemia Program at Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center and current chief of the Division of Hematology at University of Miami Health System, previously told SurvivorNet.

“The bone marrow is the factory that makes all of the cells that wind up in our blood stream.”

What is Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)?

This so-called factory makes red blood cells that bring oxygen to our tissues, white blood cells that make up the immune system, as well as platelets, which help stop bleeding, Dr. Sekeres explained.

All of these cells perform essential functions in the body, and a spike or decline in any of them can lead to some serious health issues.

“When a person has cancer of the bone marrow, such as acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes, that factory gets broken. These are cancers,” he said. “Cancers grow, and they grow in an uncontrollable way.”

Dr. Sekeres pointed out that the way blood cancer grows is different from the way other, solid-tumor cancers grow. With breast cancer, for example, someone may develop a lump or a tumor that grows overtime. With AML, as cancer grows in a confined space (the bone marrow), the normal cells in this space that would be making the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, begin dying off. This leads to the bone marrow being filled with cancer cells.

How to Recognize Symptoms of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Treating Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Acute myeloid leukemia is a fast-growing blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow, the factory that makes white and red blood cells and platelets. Within the bone marrow are stem cells that eventually develop into white blood cells (WBCs), red blood cells (RBCs), and platelets, which help blood clot.

Stem cells can copy themselves to make progenitor cells or precursor cells.  Myeloid progenitor cells turn into red blood cells, granulocytes (a type of white blood cell), and platelets. AML affects the myeloid progenitor cells during a stage of development when they are called myeloblasts.

With AML, myeloblasts fail to turn into fully developed blood cells, leaving them to build up in the bone marrow and blood.

AML is diagnosed by extracting samples of liquid bone marrow and a chip of bone from the back of the hip. The samples are then tested to determine if blood cells in the bone marrow are abnormal.

WATCH: An AML Diagnosis What are the Next Steps?

Dr. Gail Roboz, an AML expert and medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, explained to SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “The majority of patients have this sporadically out of the clear blue sky.”

Symptoms for acute myeloid leukemia can include:

• Flu-like symptoms
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Loss of appetite

AML causes certain symptoms, but having these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you have AML. Your doctor will do diagnostic tests to confirm whether or not you have AML before recommending a treatment.

Your doctor will then perform tests to diagnose you, and those tests include:

• Blood tests. In people with AML, white blood cell counts may be high, and red blood cell and platelet counts may be low. These tests can also show immature cells in the blood that should only be found in the bone marrow.
• Bone marrow biopsy. Removing and testing a bone marrow sample helps confirm AML after an abnormal blood test result.
• Lumbar puncture. This test uses a sample of spinal fluid to diagnose AML.
• Molecular and genetic testing. Your doctor can do tests to determine whether you have certain genes related to AML and if your cancer might respond to specialized treatments.

WATCH: Treatment decisions for AML

For people deemed healthy enough, induction therapy is the standard treatment for AML. The process involves a seven-day chemotherapy regimen, followed by several weeks of recovery. The goal of this high dose of chemo is to induce remission.

A stem cell transplant is another option for treating AML. After a high dose of chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant gives the patient healthy cells to replace the ones that chemotherapy may have killed.

After chemo and a transplant, the recovery process can be difficult because the immune system will be compromised. Finding a genetic match in a donor may also be difficult.

Why a Stem-Cell Transplant?

A stem-cell transplant doesn’t directly fight cancer cells, rather it helps your body create healthy cells after chemotherapy and other treatments have destroyed them.

The first course of treatment for AML patients is generally a combination of two chemotherapy drugs, known as “induction chemotherapy.” Its goal is to kill cancer cells, but along with killing cancer cells, chemotherapy also kills the body’s healthy cells and platelets. A stem-cell transplant is designed to help rebuild those blood cells and platelets and restore the immune system. The healthy new cells may also help prohibit recurrence of the disease.

“We don’t believe that chemotherapy, for the majority of leukemias, is sufficient in order to cure patients of their disease, forever,” Dr. Caitlin Costello, hematologist-oncologist at UC San Diego Health, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.

“And so a transplant is an opportunity to do that cure patients with leukemia.”

Dr. Caitlin Costello breaks down the basics about stem-cell transplants for SurvivorNet

Which AML Patients are Candidates for Stem-Cell Transplants?

Not all AML patients are candidates for a stem-cell transplant. Some need only chemotherapy, and some high-risk patients may not be able to tolerate a transplant. It all comes down to your medical team determining your risk group.

Dr. Raoul Tibes, director of the Clinical Leukemia Program at NYU Langone Health,  told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview that AMLs are grouped according to what are called cytogenetics (loss or changes to the structure of chromosomes) and other molecular markers. Doctors also look for genetic mutations on top of chromosomes, which could be indicators of risk.

Dr. Raoul Tibes discusses how an individual’s AML risk group is determined with SurvivorNet

“Based on all that information, we can group leukemias into the chromosome status, as well as mutations and genes. We take them together and then we have three or four different risk stratification groups,” he says. “That helps us decide which therapy we use.”

Help with the Cost of Cancer Treatment

Cancer treatment is incredibly expensive,” Laurie Ostacher, a Behavioral Health Clinician at Stanford Health Care, previously told SurvivorNet.

“How much coverage you have depends on your purchased insurance plan. Sometimes, when folks are younger, they might purchase a plan with a high deductible, assuming they won’t get ill. So, really, it’s helping them think about and kind of try and plan for the expenses that will be coming up. Your cancer center will often have a financial counselor to help you with that, who can sit down and go through the costs.”

 

Financial toxicity is a term that has been coined to describe the problematic financial impact cancer treatment brings.

The consequences of cancer costs can extend beyond patients’ wallets. Some people feel they must cut their pills in half to extend their medications or not refill their medications for several weeks because they can’t afford it.

To begin your journey for financial assistance, start by talking to your doctor. Your cancer center can help address any concerns about the cost of your cancer drugs.

Ostacher also recommends exploring disability programs.

RELATED: Guide to Financial Planning After a Cancer Diagnosis 

“Most people are working when they’re diagnosed, and finances are a significant issue for them. So, for those who want to take some time off and can take time off, I will talk to them about the disability programs that exist,” she said.

“There’s the state disability program. Every state has a disability program. They vary from state to state. And then there’s also the federal disability program. So, I’ll help folks kind of sit down, look at their income, estimate how much money they will get, they will collect from disability, how to go about the application process,” Ostacher continued.

Other options may include taking part in paid clinical trials.

Sarah Stapleton, a clinical social worker at Montefiore Medical Center, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview that her primary role as a social worker is to advocate for patient needs in several different areas.

“It’s super important to see a social worker,” Stapleton said. “I think there’s a networking that they can assist you with, and they really have the strongest knowledge of the resources available to get you through the process … with social work, one of the primary roles is advocacy.

Clinical social worker Sarah Stapleton explains how she helps patients navigate treatment

“It’s meeting the patient and understanding the patient’s needs and understanding what it is you need in this very moment, whether that be financial resources, whether it be related to your insurance, transportation, or ultimately, the emotional process of getting through cancer treatment,” she added.

Dr. Nina Shah explains how some patients may be able to get help with cancer bills

Financial Resources to Consider During Cancer

If you have had trouble finding resources or answers about how to get help paying for cancer, there are a few routes you can consider. You can negotiate payment plans, seek out government assistance programs, or look to advocacy groups.

These are a few of the options cancer patients and their loved ones have to get help covering costs associated with treatment (from drug co-pays to travel assistance):

Covering Caregiver Costs

• Some states offer compensation to cancer caregivers. You can check with the Department of Health and Human Services for local resources.
• CancerCare offers free services to caregivers as well, and their oncology social workers may be able to connect struggling caregivers with mental health professionals, support groups, and other resources.

For Help With Treatment Bills

• The Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition can direct patients and their families to available local services.
• Many treatment centers offer extended payment plans and some may offer temporary payment delays, according to the American Cancer Society.
• CancerCare, which connects patients with oncology social workers, may be able to assist with co-pays, transportation, and other costs associated with care.
• The HealthWell Foundation may be able to help uninsured patients pay for treatment.
• The American Cancer Society may be able to link patients and their families up with local resources (they offer a 24/7 helpline).
• The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) works with patients and their insurance companies to resolve issues and may provide direct financial support to some patients.
• The Patient Access Network Foundation may be able to help with out-of-pocket costs associated with cancer treatment.

For Help With Transportation and/or Housing

• There are several programs that may be able to assist patients if they need to travel by plane to get treatment, including Air Care Alliance, the Corporate Angel Network, and PALS (Patient Airlift Services).
• Patients with Medicaid may be entitled to help paying for transportation costs to and from treatment.
• The American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program can hook patients and their families up with volunteer drivers.
• Mercy Medical Angels may be able to help patients and their families pay for transportation.
• The Healthcare Hospitality Network can assist with housing if a patient must be treated far from home.
• The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Program gives patients and their caregivers a free place to stay during treatment in dozens of cities across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

For Help With Food

• Food assistance may be available to people going through cancer treatment and their caregivers. Look into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – aka SNAP – or a program like Meals on Wheels.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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