Lou Ann Donovan
MPN Patient Advocate
Lou Ann Donovan lives in Olathe, Kansas, a suburb of the Greater Kansas City area. She recently retired in the Fall of 2019 from The Salvation Army in Kansas City, Missouri as a Gift Planning Advisor. Then, after volunteering for two years with New Horizon Ranch Therapeutic Riding Center in Rantoul, Kansas, she joined their staff as Donor Relations to focus on community relations and fundraising. Her son Kyle is Director of Guest Services for an anime convention company traveling the Midwest with occasional trips to Tokyo, Japan.
She holds a Bachelor degree in Accounting from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri and worked in the accounting industry most of her career until shifting to the non-profit industry in 2012.
Lou Ann is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, New York and a healthy living blogger at Live-Young.com. She is proactive in living a healthy, active and joyful life! Her blog writings focus on actionable information about anti-aging, holistic healing, physical activity, eating healthy and learning how to live young every day!
In 2016, routine blood tests showed elevated blood levels including high platelets. After further testing, she was diagnosed with a blood cancer called post essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis (Post ET MF).
After being diagnosed, she scheduled a second opinion with an MPN Specialist, Dr. Ruben Mesa who was practicing at The Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. In the following year, she attended her first conference about MPN’s presented by the MPN Education Foundation and The Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 2019, she attended both the MPN conference again in Scottsdale, Arizona and for the first time the 10th Annual International Patient Symposium on MPN’s in New York, New York. As a life-long learner, she plans to continue attending MPN conferences for many years to come. Knowledge gives you the power to advocate for your health and well-being.
Although this blood cancer disease can’t be cured, she is doing well with treatment (Jakafi) and minimal symptoms including less fatigue.
Passionate about helping others, she supports multiple non-profit organizations as a participant, volunteer and advocate for the following: MPN Education Foundation, MPN Research Foundation, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, The Salvation Army Kansas & Western Missouri Division, New Horizon Therapeutic Riding Center and PATH Intl.
Other interests include: mountain biking, outdoor photography, horses, traveling to the beaches in Florida and hiking the red rocks in Sedona, Arizona!
She is grateful for each new day, always smiling and spreading kindness where ever she goes and saying hello to everyone she meets!
