Search Results

George

I was born in the inner city of Philadelphia, PA in 1951, I currently live near Dallas, Texas. My professional career in the Information Technology Industry lasted over 40 years prior to my retirement in January 2019. In 2002 I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and many aspects of my life changed forever.

Brescia

I am a Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with cancer during my college years and took a semester off to begin chemotherapy and treatment. This was an incredibly scary and challenging time in my life. As any cancer survivor contemplates upon diagnosis, one of my initial thoughts was, “How long do I have?” Not knowing the answer to that question was one of my biggest fears as I felt like I hadn’t accomplished everything I wanted to in my lifetime. After several rounds of chemotherapy, losing most of my hair, and feeling more exhausted than I’ve ever felt in my lifetime .

Samantha

I was diagnosed with cancer in January 2023. We initially thought it was a misshapen aortic arch until I got an echocardiogram. After I was formally diagnosed, I told my friends. I underwent surgery, and my friends and family came to visit me once I was awake. I was set to be in a runway show before I was diagnosed, and I decided to still walk in it. I dyed my hair purple before the show so I could raise awareness on the runway. This is when my modeling career began, and I began to gain a following on TikTok.

David

My beloved husband, David served the community of Arlington, Texas, through the fire department for 38 years. Throughout his career, he served the city and trained and mentored other up-and-coming firefighters. He retired in 2017, and just nine months later, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a very aggressive blood cancer. His oncologists believe it had simmered in David's marrow for a couple of years before it went acute. It came on with similar symptoms to the common flu. 

Rebecca

Less than one month before finishing her clinical fellowship year as a speech-language pathologist, Becca was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Her life, as well as that of her family, friends, and dog (Clifford), were turned upside down.

Helena

In 2018, a few days before Thanksgiving, Helena noticed something. She was having difficulty lifting speakers at her gigs. She became winded after only a few songs. Even the most minute tasks became daunting.

Rachel

I want to share my story about the day I was told the dreaded three words, "You have cancer," and how my life changed forever. I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) during my freshman year of college three years ago. I had started noticing symptoms including chest pain and fatigue, and I was constantly sick. I was continually going to the hospital with various infections and illnesses.

Alec and Aden

Can you imagine being a single mom by circumstances out of her control, navigating uncontrollable circumstances, as her identical twins display remarkable fortitude in the face of cancer, diagnosed three years apart? Successful at a well-paying job that afforded her the ability to support the boys and four other siblings in grade school. Managing life with six children would be challenging alone! No help from the children's father or his family, and her mother passed away years ago.

Scott

My experience with lymphoma began unexpectedly in August 2016. I began experiencing back pain with a large swollen band growing diagonally across my back. Thinking it was probably muscular, I went to see my physician who ordered an MRI. Cancer had never crossed my mind when he called me that same day and said I needed to be seen very soon by an oncologist. I was dumbfounded and left with no words. After scans, bloodwork, and a number of doctors collaborating on the findings, it was determined that I had stage 4B peripheral T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (PTCL).

Jared

At 31, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). As my career was finally taking off as a celebrity makeup artist and I finally felt “grown-up,” it came to a screeching halt. My life became cancer and getting better. Although I struggled with the isolation, I connected with many other patients via social media.

James

Cancer ― the “C” word ― has a way of reshaping one’s perspective in profound and unexpected ways. For me, my cancer was leukemia. At first, it was catastrophic as I learned how to accept this new reality. It was unfamiliar territory and didn’t come with instructions. I began chemo with clear uncertainty of what would come of it. But now, looking back, that experience wasn’t what you might think.

Erika

I am a 36-year-old cancer survivor. In February 2014, I found a suspect lump and had become unusually tired. I was a career-driven single mother of a very active 10-year-old boy, so when I say unusually tired it was time to call the doctor. Within days I was thrown into the crazy and often times confusing world of hospital appointments and insurance company battles for various procedures and surgical biopsies. We became pros at the waiting game.

Andrea

In October 2015, my family had just moved to Texas for a new start.  I had a new career, and two young boys ― a 2-year-old and a 7-year-old.

I wasn’t feeling well and went to urgent care one day where we discovered my white blood cell count was 113. They sent me straight to the ER where I was all alone because we had no one here yet and couldn’t bring the kids to the hospital. Three days later, I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Christen

Originally from northern New York, Christen moved to Denver, Colorado, in 2015 after completing her Bachelor of Science of Nursing at Le Moyne College to pursue a career in cancer care. Through a close relationship with her grandparents, she saw how her grandma, a retired registered nurse, graciously cared for her grandpa while he lived with esophageal cancer for close to a decade. The unwavering love, dedication, and courage they shared inspired Christen to seek out a specialty that allowed her to provide compassionate, holistic care to those in need.

Rohan

I am an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) survivor. I am now 10 months post-transplant and feeling stronger every day.I was born and raised in the Bay Area to South African Indian parents. I hold degrees from UC Berkeley and USC. I have built my career around advocating for equity in tech and marketing services that uplift underrepresented communities.

Whitney

I am delighted to be a new member of the Clinical Trial Support Center team at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)! After eight years as a clinical nurse, charge nurse, and assistant nurse manager at various oncology hospitals across the country, I am honored to now work with blood cancer patients as a Spanish-speaking, CTSC nurse navigator.

Casey

It was in May, 2014 that 24-year-old Casey Moore began experiencing her first symptoms of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). For a week straight, Casey had been vomiting every day and was losing a significant amount of weight. This was unusual, as prior to her symptoms, she considered herself a happy, healthy woman focused on her relationship and career. At the time, she was living with her boyfriend and working full time in a chiropractic office -- with no apparent signs of an illness.

Tom

Hello Friends — this is my leukemia journey, For those of you who don’t know me, my entire 38-year teaching career was spent with 9-12 year olds. I’ve always relished the authenticity and passion of this age group and that led me to a very satisfying and rewarding chapter in my life.

Lauren

My name is Lauren, I'm 20 years old and I am a lymphoma survivor. The summer after graduating high school, I began to develop symptoms consisting of a dry cough, a lump under my arm and shortness of breath.

Luigi

Luigi was diagnosed with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) during his junior year of high school, at the age of 16. During that time, Luigi was preparing for college applications and getting ready to play in his varsity basketball and varsity volleyball season. But all of that came to a halt with his diagnosis. While undergoing multiple rounds of dose-adjusted chemotherapy, Luigi continued to push himself and decided to get home schooling. He also continued to support his basketball team in the sidelines as much as he could.

Stefan

James

I am a cancer survivor and my story starts in the summer of 1999. On June 9, an MRI revealed a tumor the size of a golf ball in my brain. A biopsy showed it to be a primary central nervous system non-Hodgkin lymphoma. I remember this date vividly because it was my wife’s birthday and she had to break the news to me. This marked the beginning of our journey.

Gianna

My story began nearly seven years ago on February 28 when I received the call from my doctor and heard those dreaded words, “You have cancer.” A week prior, I had gotten a lymph node biopsy for a lump that randomly grew on my neck. As a healthy 19-year-old, cancer was the furthest thing from my mind, and receiving a diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) was simply unbelievable to me and my family. Hearing this news began a three-week blur of diagnostic testing and meetings with oncologists, fertility specialists, and surgeons before my first chemotherapy treatment on March 23, 2015.

Jesse

My name is Jesse Jordan. I'm a 37 year cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) when I was 17 months old. Cancer has been one of the defining moments of my life and it helps me keep the right perspective towards life. The moment I take life for granted, cancer reminds me of how precious life is and how blessed I am to be here. I believe I am meant to share my cancer story with others. Cancer increases my awareness of life every day and reinforces my commitment to help others. My hope is that my personal cancer story can give hope to others.

Erica

Erica was diagnosed with potentially fatal Stage 4 Hodgkin Lymphoma on March 28, 2013. Her journey to survive her battle with cancer was very trying but after overcoming her obstacles, Erica is very passionate about inspiring people to have the d’zire to survive any challenges that they may face in their lives. Erica’s fight to survive lymphoma had its highs and its lows, however, she didn’t give up even when at times her battle seemed like it wasn’t getting any easier.