Nancy Staples is a survivor. Of an abusive marriage. And of multiple myeloma, cancer of the bone marrow.

Andrew Staples is a lucky little boy. He gets to spend mornings before preschool with his grandma, Nancy Staples, of Eudora.

There’s a play kitchen, shelves of books and toys and, no doubt, there are cookies tucked away somewhere. Staples’ home is decorated in grandma chic from top to bottom. There’s a colorful hand-crocheted afghan. There are embroidered gingerbread people. And there are photos — decades of photos, scads of photos — everywhere. There’s no questioning priorities here. Staples’ life brims with thankfulness and contentment; she’s all smiles, speaking of her faith and her family — three sons, one daughter and 14 grandchildren.

The road to this happily-ever-after story has not always been so smooth. An abusive marriage was the worst of it. Staples, now 69, tells of making a plan with the Eudora police: If her porch light was ever off it meant she needed help. Staples finally gathered her children and got out of that situation, but she continued to struggle financially, working hard to make ends meet. “I cleaned the Methodist church, I cleaned the mayor’s house. I did ironing. I worked at the grocery, all without a car.” She earned her GED the same year her oldest son graduated from high school. Then she went on to business college.

In Nancy Staples’ home, there’s no doubt what’s important: family. And it is family members who keep her going.

Eventually Staples got a better job and bought a car. She had a good job at Vangent in Lawrence. Life was humming right along. During a visit to her pulmonologist to check out some long-standing asthma issues, Dr. Lida Osbern, ordered blood tests. Surprisingly, the results brought a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, cancer of the bone marrow.

“They caught it very early. I had my first bone marrow transplant in December 2006.

“A bone marrow transplant is not painful. I really don’t feel anything during the transplant,” Staples says. During the procedure, Staples’ blood is filtered and white blood cells are removed. She says the hardest part is the nausea and diarrhea that follow. “Sometimes, after a transplant,” she says, “I’ve been so weak that I’d have visitors come and go and I would not even know they’d been there.” Staples says it takes her about a year to fully recover from a transplant.

Each time the process has removed her own bone marrow, Staples has had enough extra to freeze for another transplant. But sometimes, after weeks of nausea and extreme fatigue, she is ready to resign herself to the illness and not bother with another transplant.

“I say to my kids, ‘Don’t ask me to do this again. I won’t do it.’ But then, of course, they do and I do and I am so glad,” she says. “Otherwise I would have missed out on seeing one, two, three grandchildren.”

Happily, Staples is around to dole out advice for those grandchildren, advice that’s good enough to repeat for everyone to hear.

“Yes, I have my bad days when I would just like to curl up and cry. But life is short and life is precious. Love your life. Do the right things. Life is too short to do otherwise.

“One time, during one of my transplants I was lying in bed so sick and I started thanking God for my sheets and my pillowcases and my blanket. I thank Him for everything. Lots of what I have was given to me. I want to say to anyone who needs to hear it: You can do this.”

Kenan Staples, of Eudora, is Staples’ third son. He and his wife, Autumn, are parents to grandson Andrew and have been the main caregivers for Staples because they live close by.

“Whenever I think of my mom, I think of her as an overcomer,” Staples’ son says. “She has overcome so many things, so much more than just cancer. She has gone through lots of discomfort with the disease, but through every day of it, if it is at all possible, she seeks to encourage those around her. We see her, no matter how bad she feels, smiling and making the most of her situation. She looks at the bright side and she is thankful. She’s a treat for us to be with.”