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Meet the Researcher: Omar Abdel-Wahab, MD
This is part of a periodic series of Q&A’s with LLS-funded researchers. Dr. Abdel-Wahab of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center focuses on an area of research called epigenetics – chemical modifications that regulate (switch on and off) gene activity. He is studying how these processes drive the development of acute myeloid leukemia and other blood cancers. He currently holds a Career Development Program grant from LLS, a program that supports scientists earlier in their careers.
Q. What is the focus of your research and its primary goal?
Remembering Robbie
On Friday, October 20, 1944, Robert “Robbie” Roesler de Villiers was only 16 years old when he died from leukemia. Robbie’s parents, Rudolph and Antoinette, were stricken with grief and frustrated by the lack of effective treatments for what was then considered a hopeless disease. In his memory, the family started a foundation in 1949.
Top Mental Health Resources For Blood Cancer Patients & Caregivers
From physical symptoms of blood cancer itself to treatments and their side effects, the experience puts a patient’s body through a lot. But how does cancer affect you emotionally?
Bottom line: Learning that you or someone you love has a serious illness is scary.
It reaches beyond blood tests: You might feel hopeless, irritable, or lose interest in things you once enjoyed. That’s why taking care of your mind, just as much as your body, is crucial when you’re facing blood cancer.
People with CLL are living longer than ever before, and cures are on the horizon
People with the most common type of blood cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), are living longer than ever before without their disease progressing. While cures for CLL patients are still rare, survival rates have improved steadily over the last 50 years, with nearly 90 percent of people diagnosed with CLL today surviving at least five years, and most for many years longer.
Moving Forward: 4 Young Blood Cancer Survivors Look Ahead
Blood cancer survivors have a unique path ahead of them—and that can feel challenging.
Questions come up: Does treatment mean I have to pause everything? Do I tell my friends or coworkers (and how)? With my medical bills, how can I afford the education I want?
Why Monthly Giving Matters
Giving regularly over time = giving patients and survivors the chance for more time.
Monthly giving really deserves more credit—credit as a predictable, impactful funding force for our lifesaving and life-changing work. For The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the reliability of a regular gift helps to sustain cutting-edge research and to provide the free resources and support blood cancer patients and survivors need to live longer, better lives.
It’s about ongoing generosity. It’s about creating a lasting impact.
And...
Patients' Medical Histories Shouldn't Determine Whether They're Insurable
All patients deserve access to quality, affordable health plans. Fortunately, most insurance cannot use patients' pre-existing conditions against them. But these protections don't exist for Medicare Supplement Insurance, known as Medigap. In fact, Medigap is one of the only types of health coverage that can charge patients more, or deny them coverage, due to their age or health status.
LLS is advocating for policies that would allow patients to enroll in Medigap—without paying higher rates—regardless of their health or age.
