Being diagnosed with a blood cancer can make you feel like you are alone. The Bloodline with LLS is here to remind you that after a diagnosis comes hope. Listen in as experts and patients guide listeners in understanding diagnosis, treatment, and resources available to blood cancer patients. Join Alicia Patten and Lizette Rivera from the Patient Access Education Team at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as they explore various survivorship topics.
Recent Episodes
A Bright Future for Hodgkin Lymphoma
Join us on this episode as Alicia and Lizette speak with Dr. Pallawi Torka, Assistant Professor of Oncology and Co-Program Director of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Torka speaks about her experience diagnosing and treating Hodgkin lymphoma and why shared decision making is necessary for patients to better understand their disease and treatment options. Dr. Torka explains the standard of care, emerging therapies and when a stem cell transplant may be considered. She also shares her excitement and optimism in the field of lymphoma as new data continues to develop, hopefully leading to increased survival and improved quality of life.
Support for this program provided by Seattle Genetics.
Motherhood and Survivorship
Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring mothers, motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. In this episode, Alicia and Lizette speak with survivor Katy Ursta, a mother of two adorable young boys. Katy speaks about her diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma at age 30, and how she and her husband worked to keep their young family going, while maintaining normalcy around both their four year old and four months old sons. She speaks about the importance of support, having a good relationship with her oncologist, speaking up herself, and being inspired by late sportscaster and long-time anchor on ESPN, Stuart Scott. As her sons watched on as neighbors brought food and offered tremendous support to her and her family, cancer taught them kindness and emphasized Katy’s deep belief that we are all here to help each other. Katy believes in leaving a legacy of love and hope and with that belief, created Every Sweat Matters, which encourages people to work out as a way to ‘one up’ cancer and sweat for those who cannot do so.
To everyone listening, we’d like to wish you a Happy Mother’s Day!
Encouraging Empathy Within Cancer Care
Caring for a patient means caring for the entire patient. Listen in as Dr. Daniel Epner, professor in the Department of Palliative Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, speaks about his experience being an oncologist for nearly 20 years before moving into his current field of palliative medicine. While treating many patients with cancer, Dr. Epner began to really appreciate the power of the relationships that he forged with his patients. His attention to caring for the entire patient naturally evolved into practicing palliative medicine. Dr. Epner speaks about a curriculum he created for young doctors and discusses ways in which culture, gender and personality must be taken into account in order to provide the best care to a patient.
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Support for The Bloodline with LLS provided by Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kite Pharmaceuticals and Seattle Genetics.
*The information contained in this podcast is for general information purposes only and is subject to change without notice. It is not intended to substitute the advice of your healthcare provider or information provided to you by your insurance carrier.