AJ's Story - Diamond Blackfan Anemia

two.

"See ya later, Alexandra!" Xia yelled, grinning.

AJ glared at her. "Call me that again and I'll snap your bra strap in ballet later."

Xia made a face. "Please don't."

The two girls exchanged wry smiles, and waved goodbye to each other as they descended the steps of the high school and went their separate ways. AJ made her way to her mom's car, noting internally how winded she felt, just after the flight of stairs outside her school. This had been happening a lot lately, and was mildly concerning considering she was an athlete in prime physical condition. She filed it away in her "Things To Mention At My Doctor's Appointment In Twenty Minutes" category. 

The car ride to the doctor's office was quiet, only consisting of the usual "How was school?" sort of questions. The same applied to the beginning of her appointment. However, then Dr. Terez asked if AJ or her mom had any concerns they wanted to bring up. AJ's mom mentioned how AJ seemed to be unusually pale and more tired than the usual amount for a fifteen year old. AJ herself mentioned how exhausting mild activity was becoming.

Dr. Terez frowned. "I'm going to order a blood test just to be sure, but considering I already recommended adding more iron to your diet, it sounds like Iron Deficiency Anemia."

AJ nodded, relieved that there was a simple explanation. 

Sure enough, when her test results came back, Dr. Terez' theory seemed to be correct. She prescribed AJ iron supplements, and told her and her mom to come back in a month to make sure they were working. 

However, AJ noticed no changes. If anything, she seemed to be getting worse. Her teachers at school, and her friends were starting to get concerned, pulling her aside to ask if she was sick. Her mom called the doctor's office to see what they should do, but all the receptionist offered was that the supplements wouldn't work overnight and it would take a while for AJ's iron levels to return to normal. Uneasy, AJ's mom took that for an answer, but was still convinced there was something more serious going on with her kid. 

...   <3   ...

"Come on girls! Let's go!" Ms Bree called from the front of the room as the Advanced Jazz 1 class warmed up. She had them doing jumping jacks, but every ten they had to jump down to the ground and do a push-up. AJ was completely out of breath, gasping for air. A couple months ago she could have done this exercise with ease. But now...

Ms Bree suddenly called for them to stop, and take a water break. AJ grabbed her water bottle like a lifeline. As she drank, she realized that she was very dizzy, and lightheaded. Stumbling, she made her way over to Ms Bree, who was queuing up the music for their dance. 

"What's up, AJ?" the dance instructor asked, barely looking up from her computer. 

"I- I feel like I'm about to pass out," AJ said, feeling worse by the second. Her fitness watch was alerting her that her heart rate was too high, and her head was throbbing.

Ms Bree looked up, worried. "Um, okay. How about you sit down in the lobby, drink some water, and sit with your head between your knees for a little bit. Eat something, too. I'll check back in with you in a little bit."

AJ somehow made out into the lobby and into a seated position before she lost consciousness.