My name is Greg.
I’m 58 years old and an avid runner. For years, PNH took the best out of my
life. Now I’m taking it back.
It was the summer of 1995 when Greg, a runner and the picture of health, first noticed
that his urine was dark and red. As a healthcare professional, Greg knew something
was very wrong. He collected a sample of his urine and brought it to his urologist,
who recommended further tests.
A litany of tests were run on Greg’s blood, but no diagnosis could be determined.
So he was sent back to work at his dental practice. Six weeks later at a follow-up
visit,
Greg’s doctor tested his blood once again.
This time he discovered that Greg’s serum and red blood cells wouldn’t separate.
Still concerned as to what the problem might be, his doctor referred him to a hematologist.
So many tests had been run that the most obvious conditions were ruled out, allowing
Greg’s hematologist to focus on more obscure possibilities. That’s when he finally
got his diagnosis of PNH. Greg’s own body was attacking and destroying his red blood
cells through a process called hemolysis.
