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Job Application Process

If you are looking for a new job, consider these steps to lessen the chance that you will face discrimination because of your cancer history:

A College Freshmen Faces A Cancer Diagnosis

The symptoms I habitually pushed off as stressors from my first semester of college, began to accumulate. Throughout the semester I felt less like my healthy self because of coughing, abnormal skin reactions, unexplainable fatigue and diminishing motivation.

Beyond the diagnosis: How employers can champion employees facing cancer

“When someone faces cancer, they shouldn't have to go it alone.” – Orlando Ashworth, CPO, LLS

Cancer doesn’t just impact an individual. It sends ripples through families, friendships, and workplaces. 

Bold goal, bold action

As we observe World Cancer Day, I’m reflecting on my own family’s experience with blood cancer, the children with blood cancer I have had the honor of knowing, and the many individuals and families who have been impacted by a blood cancer diagnosis.

Our work at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has had a positive impact on so many, but we can do even more to accelerate progress for the blood cancer patients we serve.

Volunteers: The Engine Powering LLS’s Mission

I was always aware that volunteers with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) drive impact for blood cancer patients and families. But it wasn’t until Thanksgiving Day 2007 that I discovered the full force of their power. My wife, Holly, had recently been diagnosed with follicular lymphoma and our family was still reeling from the news. She was feeling quite ill, and we were exhausted with worry and trying to keep life as normal as possible for our two young children.

How Surviving Cancer Gave me a Second Birthday

Birthdays are a time for celebration as we become one year older, wiser, and more mature. For cancer survivors, we carry with us another date that symbolizes even more. This is our second birthday. Similar to an actual birthday, this day often carries feelings of even more nostalgia and remembrance. However, it can also grip us with feelings of dread, anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). No matter how far along we are in our journey through survivorship, our second birthday pulls at us to stop and compassionately remember all that we’ve been through. 

Honoring Blood Cancer Survivors

Throughout June, in commemoration of #NationalCancerSurvivorMonth, we at LLS have been highlighting the resilience and achievements of blood cancer survivors. I’ve treated so many incredible young survivors in my years as a pediatric hematologist oncologist, and all of them hold a special place in my heart. 

The Financial Burden of Blood Cancer Treatment for Working-Aged Adults is Growing

Cancer is one of the most expensive medical conditions to treat in the U.S. As a result, patients, survivors, and caregivers—already challenged by the physical and emotional burdens of cancer—often face growing medical debt.

Employment Rights of Cancer Survivors and Caregivers

Working often fulfills a critical financial and emotional need for cancer survivors and their caregivers. In addition to providing income and important benefits such as health insurance, employment also can provide a source of support, feelings of productivity, and even normalcy. Cancer, however, may create barriers to finding and keeping a job, as well as wreak havoc on the ability to pay bills and to obtain adequate insurance.

LLS, advocates celebrate major state policy wins for patients

While Congress meets year-round, state legislatures typically meet only in the first half of the year. The start of the summer generally marks the end of the state sessions. 

As LLS prepares for our 2024 state work, it’s important to celebrate the incredible wins we achieved at the state level in 2023. 

These policies are the culmination of years of work from volunteers and LLS staff from across the organization. We hope you’ll take a moment to learn about them – and share them with your own stakeholders. 

Tips for Talking with Your Employer and Your Workplace Rights

You may not be sure whether it's wise to let your employer know that you have cancer. You may want to seek advice from a professional counselor who understands employment rights for people living with cancer.

Consider telling your employer if:

• You may need time off for treatments or because you don't feel well
• You're eligible to take Family and Medical Leave
• You're applying for a new position

You might be considering not confiding in your employer if:

How to Enforce Your Legal Rights

If you suspect that you are being treated differently at work because of your cancer history, consider an informal solution before leaping into a lawsuit. You want to stand up for your legal rights without casting yourself as a troublemaker.

If you face discrimination, consider the following suggestions:

The Immune System and Blood Cancer: 4 Things You Need to Know

Immunotherapy uses the power of the immune system to treat blood cancer. Today it is a standard treatment that has a profound effect in some blood cancer patients, but it still falls short in others. 

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has been a champion of this type of cancer treatment for decades, supporting some of the earliest and most game-changing immune-based treatments for blood cancer. The advances have been astonishing, but there is so much further to go. 

Work, School & Finances

Some people continue to work or attend school through cancer treatment, but others are not able to do so. Talk to your healthcare team to know what to expect from treatment so you can make the decision that is best for you.

I Lost My Husband to Myeloma, A Blood Cancer

Meet The Researcher: Dr. Rayne Rouce

Predisposing factors to leukemia

Table of contents:

Champions in myeloma research, Part 2: A conversation with Suzanne Lentzsch, M.D., Ph.D.

To commemorate both Myeloma Awareness Month and Women’s History Month during March, I’ve been talking with LLS-funded women scientists who are driving discovery for myeloma patients. As we close out the month and my two-part series on myeloma researchers, I’m excited to share my recent conversation with Suzanne Lentzsch, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Multiple Myeloma and Amyloidosis Program at Columbia University. 

Resources for Survivors

Use this Survivorship Workbook to collect all the important information you need throughout diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care and long-term management of a blood cancer.

David

I am a proud, 52-year-old stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor now living in Los Angeles again (my long-time home). I was living in Cleveland to help with some family matters for a couple of years. I found a great new job in Los Angeles, and the very day I accepted the new job, I received my diagnosis (August 25, 2022). That put my life on hold.

Your Treatment Team

Oncologists and hematologists are specialists who treat persons with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloproliferative diseases. Pediatric hematologist oncologists treat children, adolescents and some young adults who have blood cancers. The oncologist or hematologist-oncologist coordinates a treatment and follow-up plan that involves other doctors as well as nurses, social workers, case managers and nutritionists.

From office to Andes: LLS CFO takes the mission to new heights

JR Miller at Palomani Pass, the highest point on the Ausangate trek in Peru at 5,200 meters (17,060 feet)

After 25 years of service to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), JR Miller has seen the mission from nearly every angle – donor, volunteer, fundraiser, advocate, and executive. But this year, he added something new to that list: trekker. 

Long-Term and Late Effects For Cancer Survivors

Blood cancer survivors don't always have serious long-term or late effects of treatment. For those who do, some long-term effects, such as fatigue, can linger for months or years after therapy. Late effects, such as medical conditions like heart disease and other cancers, don't appear until years after treatment ends. Effects can range from mild to severe.

Talk with your doctor about possible long-term and late effects. Your risk for developing long-term or late effects can be influenced by your:

Stephanie

Ever since I saw my dad run the New York City Marathon in 2019, I knew it was something that I wanted to strive toward. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I put that dream on pause to start a full-time job as a clinical research coordinator for bone marrow transplants.