The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) knows how challenging it can be to plan for your future during or after cancer treatment. Hospital stays and interruptions in school may mean pausing your goals. And the high cost of cancer care can make affording higher education difficult.
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?
Did you know that blood cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis for children, accounting for 40% of pediatric cancer cases? In fact, nearly 55,000 children and adolescents in the United States currently have blood cancer or are in remission from blood cancer.
Dear Friends,
I’m just over 100 days into my new role as President & CEO of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and I want to take this moment to say how grateful and proud I am to work alongside all of you in service of blood cancer patients and their families. It’s been great meeting many of you as I travel to our regions and meet with departments throughout the country. And I look forward to meeting many more of you in the months ahead.
Blood cancer treatment can be a scary and confusing time. And blood cancer patients want to feel like they’re not alone.
That’s why The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and Subaru are partnering to bring warmth and comfort to blood cancer patients through warm blankets, patient care kits, and handwritten notes of encouragement.
In an ideal world, it shouldn’t matter who you are, where you live, how much money or what kind of insurance you have—none of those factors should impact your ability to access quality healthcare, especially when you have a disease like blood cancer. But the reality is that for many patients, there are obstacles to getting the quality care they need and deserve. Recognizing these barriers, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) works hard to help patients get the care they need, wherever they are in their blood cancer diagnosis—even w
A nasty cough and extreme fatigue first led Myrna and Lou Binder to bring their 12-year-old son, Jeff, to the doctor for an examination. But the flu-like symptoms persisted until more tests enabled the doctors to arrive at the shocking diagnosis: non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The year was 1975.
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Late last year I had the privilege of attending a special screening of the documentary American Symphony. The film chronicles the experiences of writer Suleika Jaouad and her husband musician Jon Batiste after learning that her acute myeloid leukemia (AML) had returned after years of remission. The movie shows how the couple navigates uncertainty, treatment, and their new normal afterwards.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded today to two scientists whose groundbreaking work led to the development of a class of immunotherapies called checkpoint inhibitors that work by releasing the brakes on the immune system.
To provide up to $7,500 to cover tuition for virtual or in-person vocational, two-year, or four-year post-secondary education.
Blood cancer patients or survivors diagnosed at age 25 or younger
Website LLS Scholarship for Blood Cancer SurvivorsTo provide up to $7,500 to cover tuition for virtual or in-person vocational, two-year, or four-year post-secondary education.
Blood cancer patients or survivors diagnosed at age 25 or younger
Website https://www.lls.org/lls-scholarship-blood-cancer-survivorsTaking an active role in making decisions regarding your treatment can have a positive effect on your health and quality of life. One of your first choices as an active participant in your care is to either select a specialist to manage your treatment or to choose a treatment center.
You may be seeking a blood cancer specialist or a treatment center because you:
Imagine a community filled with families, friends, and healthcare professionals united to transform the meaning of living with blood cancer. This diverse group of people—including researchers, doctors, care partners, and healthcare teams—are bound together by hope, resilience, and a shared goal: to overcome the challenges and live longer better lives.
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.
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.
If you want to change the world, there’s more than one way to do it. You could start in your community, helping friends and neighbors. You could also turn to a nonprofit organization—as a volunteer, donor, advocate, or even by joining the staff—to widen your impact.
We know a lot of changemakers at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Passionate, amazing people who work hard to help us make life better for blood cancer patients, survivors, and their families. They know that we can make the most progress toward a world without blood cancer together.
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