Patients receive 3-AP (Triapine®) IV over 4 hours followed by fludarabine phosphate IV over 30 minutes on days 1-5. Courses repeat every 21 days in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients undergo bone marrow and/or peripheral blood collection at baseline and periodically during study treatment for molecular analysis of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) mutations, GATA-1 mutations, and expression of the death-inducer-obliterator (Dido) genes on chromosome 20q.