Morariu was discharged June 13 after a four-week stay, including 10 days of chemotherapy. She dealt with extreme weakness and complications with breathing and fevers as she waited for her blood counts to return to normal. "It’s amazing," she said a day before discharge, "I’m feeling pretty lucky being able to go home."

At Jackson Memorial, Morariu (pronounced More-ARE-ee-you) underwent an intensive multi-pronged treatment to rid her bone marrow of cancerous cells. The leukemic cells’ unbridled growth had crowded out normal cells the marrow makes: oxygen-carrying red blood cells, infection-fighting white blood cells, and blood-clotting platelets.

Thanks to great strides in the 1990s in the treatment of this leukemia, Morariu’s prognosis is highly hopeful. Based on her age, physical condition, and response to chemotherapy, her doctor described her odds of beating the disease as upwards of 80%, she says.

The main therapy behind the improved prospects is all-trans-retinoic acid, a compound related to vitamin A, says Herman Kattlove, MD, a medical oncologist and medical editor at the American Cancer Society (ACS). "The study of our basic biologic processes," he says, "has led to our understanding of how to treat this disease."

The new treatment is not problem-free. But all-trans-retinoic acid, coupled with chemotherapy, has more than doubled the survival rate for APL since the 1980s, according to a report in the November 1998 New England Journal of Medicine. The relapse rate has dropped by more than one-third, to about 20%.

In APL, the retinoic acid induces the leukemia cells — which are immature precursors to infection-fighting white cells — to mature into normal white cells.

"As these white cells mature, they die instead of accumulating and crowding out all the other cells. It’s exciting for oncologists to look every day at the blood of patients undergoing this treatment, and see leukemia cells convert to normal cells right before their very eyes," says Kattlove.

But a common after-effect of this rapid-maturing process is excess white cells clogging blood vessels, particularly in the lung, Kattlove says. The jam of white cells obstructs blood flow and causes breathing problems.

Morariu experienced this syndrome, which can be life threatening; but she was treated successfully with steroids, says her older brother, Mircea Morariu, MD, a neurologist. "She’s just been tremendously positive," Mircea (Meer CHA) Morariu says.

The real test of the treatment will be in late June or early July, when her bone marrow is tested. If 5% or fewer cells are leukemic, her brother explains, she’ll be considered in remission — and she will undergo more chemotherapy to wipe out the residual cells.

Her first reaction to her diagnosis was extreme shock, says Corina Morariu, who in the past has contributed Federate Cup earnings to a foundation that helps children of parents with brain tumors. But when she heard her prognosis was encouraging, she says, she focused on an upbeat attitude, helped by the constant support of her husband, brother, parents, friends, and fans.

"There’s no alternative but to get better, in my mind," she declares.

Her current priorities are health, family, and friends — and joy from simple pleasures, such as sitting outside for five minutes, feeling the sun, hearing the birds, and seeing bright flowers.

Morariu was deeply touched when top tennis champion Jennifer Capriati held up a sign at the French Open that read, "Get Well Corina," and later dedicated her victory to Morariu.

And where does tennis stand in the life of the former Wimbledon champion? "It’s probably close to the bottom of the list," she states; "I’ve been watching tennis on television, but I feel so far removed from that world."

She is focused on getting better, Morariu emphasizes, and completing treatment — "And then, I can think about what I want to do next."