09/19/2026
Hi friends! This is going to be a lengthy post but I encourage you all to read it!
As I am sure many of you know, I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called Systemic Mastocytosis in 2024. Before that, I had never heard of SM.
One routine visit to a dermatologist turned my life upside down. She looked at me as soon as she saw my “spots” & said, “you need to see an oncologist”. That is enough to make you want to throw up. I immediately broke down in tears. As soon as I left the office, I called my mom having a panic attack. Because why would a relatively healthy 24 year old need to see an oncologist?? But that’s what I did. I was seen by a Doctor from the Cleveland Clinic in Wooster. He had such high hopes that I didn’t have SM bc I was not experiencing the “normal” symptoms. But blood tests confirmed that my Tryptase was high & something was indeed going on. Which led me to my bone marrow biopsy. & once we got those results back, I was diagnosed with Systemic Mastocytosis.
My Wooster doctor transferred me to The Main Cleveland Clinic Campus to see an oncologist there who would be more knowledgeable. Because my Wooster doctor had never seen anyone with SM until me. Dr. M- which is who I still see to this day ran more tests & officially diagnosed me with Indolent Systemic Mastocytosis.
As you can imagine, this was all hard to hear. My anxiety went nuts. I started having panic attacks multiple times a day where I wouldn’t leave my house. I thought I was dying constantly & honestly, I did want to die. I felt helpless. I was miserable, scared & wanted it all to end. BUT with the help of my cancer psychiatrist- we got me on the right track.
And that is where baking comes into all of this. He suggested I find a hobby that kept me busy. That helped take my mind off of everything I was going through. I tried reading, walking, etc but my mind would always wander to my diagnosis. & that is when I tried baking. I never really had any interest in it before this. But once I started this time, I didn’t want to stop. It’s like it turned my mind off & I could breathe & focus on things other than my ISM. & that is how “Cayla’s 5228 Bakery” was born.
NOW, the whole point of this post is because October 20th is Mastocytosis Awareness Day. Which is now a huge part of my life. Most doctors, let alone people have never heard of my condition. And since I am one of the people living with it, it’s my job to advocate for it.
With that being said, from now until October 19th, I will be taking orders for
-chocolate chip cookies
-PB cookies
-buckeyes
-plain pumpkin muffins
If you order one of these 4 items from now until October 19th, I will take 10% from every order & donate it to The Mast Cell Disease Society. By doing this, it helps fund more research for SM.
If you don’t want to order, here is the link that you can always donate yourself! https://tmsforacure.org/give/
As always, thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me!
-Cayla (Systemic Mastocytosis Warrior 🎗️)
