Search Results
Kendric
In June 2020, I was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkins lymphoma, but let's backtrack for a minute. In September 2019, I notice that I would (sometimes) experience lower back pain around the lumbar area, but it would only be sometimes. At that point, it may only have happened one to four times a month.
William
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) holds a special place in my heart. I lost my mother to therapy associated with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in July 2021. AML is a type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow and blood. It can be very aggressive and progress rapidly without treatment. There are still certain forms of AML that do not have effective treatments, like the one my mother had. LLS was a resource I knew about from my work in solid tumor cancer research. It helped provide me with patient and caregiver resources that I needed at an extremely difficult time in my life.
Shar
For the past nine years as a physician assistant, I have had the privilege of taking care of acute leukemia, high-risk lymphoma and bone marrow transplant patients at the Intermountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program. Throughout my years at this job, I have seen the struggles patients and their families face once they’ve been told “you have cancer.” I've enjoyed being an important part of our patients’ medical team, helping them heal physically and emotionally, but I wanted to do more.
Mike
My personal story with blood cancer started in 2020 but nobody really knew how long it was brewing. A day came when back spasms started raging and my Primary Care Physician (PCP) sent me to physical therapy (PT). It didn’t take more than 1 visit to PT to know that was a bust and finally my PCP sent me to the Hematologist. This is where my blood cancer story becomes reality, in no more than 5 minutes, the Hematologist sent me directly to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
Liv
When I was 25 years old, I started my new, dream job as a health and physical education teacher. Six days into the school year, I went for a CT scan after months of complications with my breathing. I got the results later that day while I was on my lunch break.
The doctors had found a 10.5 cm tumor sitting in my chest and just millimeters away from cutting off blood circulation to my brain. I was told to rush to the ER but not to panic. Well of course I panicked, and left work in shock. I went to Rhode Island Hospital and was immediately admitted.
Keisha
In 2017, I was diagnosed with a rare and chronic form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). I was beyond devastated as I knew there was no cure for my condition, and I also knew my life would be altered in many ways. I was also finishing my last semester in graduate school and almost gave up my dream of graduating. But with the support of my family, school, physicians, and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), I persisted and received my Master of Education in 2018.
Campbell
Hi! My name is Campbell Brandt. I am 9 years old and a student at Spring Run Elementary School in Chesterfield County, Virginia. I love to dance, play softball, ride my scooter, sing karaoke, listen to music and watch the Disney channel. I like to dance and sing to Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. I am a pretty typical 9-year-old girl, except that I have fought cancer.
Payton
My daughter Payton is a two-time cancer survivor. She had acute myeloid leukemia (AML). She had a cord blood transplant on March 8, 2012. She has a dog and a cat, and she loves camping, spending time with her family and playing outside with her friends. She thinks cancer is nasty and she hated it. She is a fighter.
Kari
I am writing this in 2022, but I never would have believed when acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) struck my daughter in 2013, that it would feel like we were back at step 1.
Jennifer
Jennifer of Hayward, CA, was diagnosed with myeloma (MM) in 2008. During this process, she endured a year of intense chemotherapy, followed by an autologous stem cell transplant where her own stem cells were harvested and reintroduced into her body on January 8, 2010. This resulted in an extended hospital stay followed by radiation treatments. She is currently in remission and remains under doctor’s care. After her diagnosis and treatments, she wanted to give back to others living with the disease.
Amber
On November 22, 2013, I was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). There was no sign that anything was wrong until I went in for routine blood work. My platelet count, which should have been in the 150,000 to 400,000 mcL range, was over a million. After a bone marrow biopsy, my oncologist discovered that I had Philadelphia chromosome–positive CML.
My diagnosis opened my eyes to just how much has been accomplished in the fight against cancer.
Jayson
On October 29, 2023, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at the age of 24. Before cancer, I moved through life without a care in the world, living each day like tomorrow was guaranteed. That all changed in an instant.
Larry
Larry Loose, a great big bear of a man with a penchant for classic cars, off road racing, dirt bikes and living large. This man, my husband of twenty five years, had worked 12-hour days for decades in hopes of being able to retire early, move to the desert and spend our later years as snowbirds in beautiful Arizona.
Kamal
Most Capital Region 16-year-olds are well into the routine of the school year by now. But Kamal Havercombe hasn’t started his junior year at Albany High School. He hasn’t set foot in a classroom yet. Instead, he has been in and out of the hospital getting multiple blood transfusions, fighting fevers as high as 108 degrees and undergoing chemotherapy sessions that leave him weak and sickened.
Kyle
In April 2019, Kyle, a 17-year-old football star at Glenn Hills High School in Hephzibah, Georgia, noticed a large lump on his throat while taking a shower. After a trip to the hospital and several tests, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma and began intense treatment right away.
Jay
Nana’s Heroes was started to honor Lois “Nana” Bowen. When he found out she was sick, Jay, Nana’s grandson, was 13. Around ninth grade, he wanted to do something about it. Although he couldn’t fix her all up or make her all better, he could help raise money to help find a cure for the awful disease that she had.
Camdon
My name is Camdon Cherry. I was 14 hours away from graduating with a BS in microbiology from Oklahoma State University when I was diagnosed with acute lymphblastic leukemia (ALL).
I presented to the hospital with staphylococcus infections in my blood and developed COVID-19 while in the hospital so my treatment was delayed for weeks. I am still very early in my treatments as I was only diagnosed on Dec. 1, 2020 and I am currently in induction phase 2 of chemotherapy.
Jennifer
Jennifer has had a long journey with blood cancer but things are finally looking up. It started with a lump on her neck in 2009 that was diagnosed as Hodgkin lymphoma stage 2. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation seemed to work. Then in 2011 a routine PET scan showed a spot on her chest. It was back. A stem cell transplant (using her own cells) got her through that time. But two years later, in 2013, another routine pet scan revealed another spot on her chest near her heart, and it was back for more surgery.
Jonathan
Jon was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) unexpectedly on November 4, 2023, and has been receiving inpatient treatment at Sharp Memorial Hospital in his new hometown of San Diego ever since. The care is excellent but extremely expensive.
Dean
I was losing the battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and lymphoma in August of 2013 when I ran across this quote from Albert Einstein, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." I decided to adopt this as my standard to live by. It gave me new insight and a passion for living that fueled my will to live.
Latasha
After a family vacation with her four kids and husband of 20 years, Latasha couldn't eat or hold her head up. After being in bed for almost a month, she thought she had the flu when her doctor broke the news that she had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and anemia.
Other Financial Assistance
LLS is part of the Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (C-FAC), which helps cancer patients manage their financial challenges by:
- Helping members communicate and collaborate
- Educating patients and providers about resources and links to other organizations that provide information about C-FAC's resources
- Advocating for cancer patients regarding the financial burdens of cancer care