It felt just like any other Saturday after my dad's birthday. He got his annual checkup and bloodwork, and we would all celebrate our April birthdays around Easter Sunday. But this turned into something unlike any other Saturday. His cell phone rang, and everything changed.
My story begins with a diagnosis of hypothyroidism but they noticed something unusual with my white blood cell count, which was elevated but I had no infection. Further tests revealed that it was lymphoma. My initial diagnosis was incorrect so I went for a second opinion at the University of Kansas Cancer Center.
My son, Benjamin, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in February 2019 at the age of four. Due to the unique nature of his presentation, he was placed in the VHR (very high risk) category and underwent three and a half years of treatment.
I was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at age 25 and since then I've had two bone marrow transplants and CAR-T. For the past 8 years I have been on and off "healthy" and undergoing or actively recovering from treatment.
My son, AJ, was diagnosed with leukemia on September 23, 2014, and from then on, our life changed.
In November 2015, I began experiencing persistent hives, severe fatigue, and chest pain that I couldn’t explain. At the time, I was managing a demanding schedule, and I initially attributed my symptoms to stress.
My name is Nicole, and I am a 21-year-old cancer survivor! Last year, on February 1st, I started to go for chemotherapy after being misdiagnosed for TWO years! For those two years, I was told that the softball-sized lymph nodes in my neck were all because of allergies… I knew something was wrong when it became the size it did, and being vain was going around it.
My mother, Joy, was diagnosed in 2015 with follicular lymphoma (FL) in her stomach. She went into remission after chemo treatment. Six months later, it came back, this time more aggressive and on the outside of her organs. They did CHOP chemo and then a bone marrow transplant. She went into remission for a second time.
In 2001, I was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) at age three and survived thanks to three and a half years of intense treatment at the City of Hope Los Angeles. I am now 25 years old, a college graduate, and working for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), hoping to give back to those who helped save my life.
On April 23, 2020, at the age of 15, my whole world changed. I got the call that I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) while getting ready for a birthday party. Throughout quarantine, I had to undergo four cycles of chemotherapy and 14 days of radiation consisting of countless days in and out of the hospital.