Every day feels like a small victory for Jeff Collins. When he first fell ill in the spring of 2016, he assumed it was stress from work or a lingering flu. But after several weeks of fatigue, bruising, and unexplained fevers, Jeff’s doctor ordered a full panel of tests. The results were life-changing: Jeff was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia that required immediate treatment.
Within days he began chemotherapy, often spending four to five hours at the infusion center. The treatments were grueling, and the uncertainty weighed heavily on him. But Jeff found strength in the people around him—especially in Eric, a leukemia survivor who had been matched with him through a mentoring program.
Eric had undergone his own transplant nearly a decade earlier and understood both the fear and hope that accompany such a diagnosis. He visited Jeff often, sharing practical advice, emotional support, and the kind of encouragement that only someone who has been through it can truly offer. Their conversations became an anchor for Jeff during the hardest months.
Jeff’s life changed forever on November 12, 2016, when he received his stem-cell transplant at the age of 54. The recovery was slow and required patience he didn’t know he had, but he pushed through—with Eric cheering him on every step of the way.
Now, more than six years later, Jeff is thriving. He hikes with his family, experiments with new recipes in the kitchen, and has rediscovered his love for photography. Looking back, he often reflects on how different his life felt during those unpredictable first months after his diagnosis. “I didn’t know what the future would look like,” Jeff says. “But now I think about how good these years have been—and how much I still want to experience.”
Jeff now volunteers through the same mentoring program that connected him with Eric. He regularly speaks with newly diagnosed patients, offering reassurance, clarity, and a sense of hope. “Eric helped me believe I could get through this,” Jeff shares. “If I can give that feeling to someone else, that means the world to me.”
For Jeff and Eric, what began as a support match has become a deep, lasting friendship—one built on resilience, shared experience, and a commitment to helping others face leukemia with strength and courage.