Search Results

Megan

At 31, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It all started with what I thought was a cold or maybe COVID. I kept working, brushing off the symptoms as something minor. But things got worse. I had a persistent cough and unexplained bruises, and I felt constantly out of breath. When I lost part of the vision in my right eye, I knew something was seriously wrong, but without insurance, I hesitated to seek help.

Blaine

Everything happens for a reason, even cancer. I am thrilled to say I just walked out of the hospital doors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after receiving the news that I have achieved a complete and total REMISSION. Leukemia pushed me to death’s door more than once, and it taught me more than I could ever dream of knowing about myself and life in general.

Damion

In 2020, at the age of 36, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM). To say this was out of left field would be an understatement. Historically, MM has been recognized as a blood cancer that impacts older patients. That research may be changing. Also, MM disproportionally affects African Americans. At the time of my diagnosis, I was a pretty healthy guy. I tried to eat right and even played in two basketball leagues each week. When I went to the doctor with stomach issues, I wasn't expecting to leave with a cancer diagnosis.

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation involves the use of stem cells from someone other than the patient. The donated stem cells can come from either a person related or not related to the patient. 

Drug Therapies

In the past decade alone, new drugs and new uses for existing drugs have greatly improved rates of cure or remission for patients of all ages. Newer "targeted therapies" and "risk-adapted therapies" have resulted in higher overall response rates and decreased side effects. More than 50 drugs of different types are now being used singularly or in combination to treat blood cancers.

Blood cancer treatment often includes one or a combination of:

Diagnosis

While certain signs and symptoms may indicate that a person has MF, a series of tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis. It is important to have an accurate diagnosis, as it helps the doctor to:

• Estimate how the disease will progress
• Determine the appropriate treatment

Some of these tests may be repeated both during and after treatment to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.

Mark

At the age of 18, my dad, Mark Brightbill, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma and underwent chemo and radiation.  The Tuesday after my now husband and I got engaged, he was diagnosed with nodular LP Hodgkin lymphoma (after 30 years in remission).

Side Effects

Both cancer therapy and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) can produce side effects. For most patients, side effects are temporary and subside once the body adjusts to therapy or when therapy is completed. For other patients, side effects can be more severe, sometimes requiring hospitalization. The side effects of chemotherapy may vary, depending on the drugs used and the overall health of the patient. 

Before you undergo treatment, talk with your doctor about potential side effects. Medication and other therapies can prevent or manage many side effects.

Michele

I was recently diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). My mom passed away from pulmonary fibrosis right before Thanksgiving 2022. She never smoked and had none of the risk factors that led to that type of disease. So, I thought I would get a physical to make sure I was healthy. I have a 2½-year-old daughter, and I am an older mom, so I figured I should make sure my lungs were healthy. I didn't even have a primary care physician, so I asked my good friends for a recommendation.

Katharine

My mother, Nancy, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a FLT3 mutation in March 2022. Over the next year and a half, she went through multiple rounds and regimens of inpatient and outpatient chemotherapy. At every step along the way, every member of my mom's care team kept mentioning how the outlook for patients like my mom was so much better now than it had been even 10 years ago thanks to advances in medicine.

Rachel

My name is Rachel. My tribal affiliation is full-blood Chickasaw/Creek/Seminole. I am 19 years old and will be entering my second year at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. I attended Little Axe Schools from Kindergarten to my senior year of high school. Little Axe is a rural community school outside of Norman, Oklahoma. My parents are both full-blood Natives, and I have an older brother (25) and a younger brother (16). My older brother, Caleb, is a state trooper for the State of Oklahoma. My younger brother, Andrew, will be starting the 10th grade at Little Axe High School.

Julie

March 22, 2020- 7 years since acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosis, CURED!!! I am so blessed to be alive to celebrate my 7th year since diagnosis of AML! Who celebrates being diagnosed with AML or any cancer for that matter? But let’s be honest, in the cancer lottery, AML, is not one of the preferred. At least if you cling to cancer stats which is something I highly discourage. The first problem with AML stats specifically-the mean DX age of 68ish.

Steve

In June of 2016, I went to my primary care physician for a routine physical. Lab work revealed an abnormally low white blood cell count, triggering a bone marrow biopsy that found acute myeloid leukemia. In 48 hours, I went from feeling perfectly fine to a week-long, 24/7, chemotherapy cocktail. That was followed by four more weeks in the hospital to treat the inevitable infections and side effects of chemotherapy induced immunosuppression. I quickly learned that the rest of life doesn’t stop just because we’re sick.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific types of cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. Not all cancers have the same targets. Each type of targeted therapy works a little bit differently, but they all interfere with the growth and survival of cancer cells. To find the most effective treatment, your doctor may run tests to identify the genes, proteins and other factors in your cancer cells. This helps the doctor choose the most effective treatment for you based on the specific factors of your disease.

Stem Cell Transplantation

The goal of stem cell transplantation is to cure the patient’s cancer by destroying the cancer cells in the bone marrow with high doses of chemotherapy and then replacing them with new, healthy blood-forming stem cells. The healthy blood stem cells will grow and multiply forming new bone marrow and blood cells. There are two main types of stem cell transplantation. They are

Who's Who on Your Healthcare Team

A number of healthcare professionals are involved with your care. Your team may include:

Greysun

Hi! My name is Greysun! I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on March 23, 2011. I was fortunate to get outstanding medical treatment at UNC Children's Hospital and the cancer center. I have been through many rounds of chemo followed by up to six weeks of hospitalization after each one. I have had radiation to my brain followed up by my first bone marrow transplant.

Allie

On July 18, 2020, I rang a bell in the lobby of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital that signified the end of my chemotherapy treatments and the beginning of my remission. At age 15, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I entered the hospital on December 1, 2019, with dangerously low red blood cell and platelet counts.

Facts and Statistics Overview

Leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are types of cancer that can affect the bone marrow, the blood cells, the lymph nodes, and other parts of the lymphatic system.

Click on the links below to view statistics about each disease:

Clinical Trials

When it comes to finding the right treatment for your child's cancer, a clinical trial may be an option. Your child will have access to new or improved therapies under study and not yet on the market. Discuss with your child's doctor the possibility of participating in a clinical trial, where treatment is administered in a safe, closely monitored environment.

Click here to read more about clinical trials.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

• Is a diagnosis of cancer
• Is a group of diseases that affect the blood and marrow, with varying degrees of severity, treatment needs and life expectancy
• May be primary or treatment-related. Primary MDS has no obvious cause. Treatment-related MDS has an obvious cause.

Click here to access MDS statistics.

Krisha

I started noticing some things were "off" with my body. In early August 2022, my daughters noticed several large, unexplained bruises on my legs. I just brushed them off as being clumsy or running into something. Then, while lying in bed reading to one of my daughters, my lower jaw and lip went numb, like when you have Novocaine. I got up and moved around, and it got better. This started to be a daily occurrence, and about a week or so later, I woke up and could not open my mouth. I thought I had TMJ, so I called my dentist. He had me come in and looked at my mouth/jaw.

Nicholas

It started with a stiff neck. Then came fatigue and a sore throat. I started feeling full after only a few bites of food. Workouts were getting more difficult to complete. My heart rate was consistently north of 100 just lying in bed. Rationalized. It's maybe strep. Could be mono. I prescribed myself antibiotics and popped ibuprofen. Nothing was working. Reluctantly went to an urgent care after weeks of feeling like this. Bloodwork was done.

Sarah

In August of 2014, after a routine medical procedure, doctors suspected that Sarah may have a lymphoma type cancer. Soon thereafter, with her husband by her side, doctors confirmed that Sarah indeed had cancer, stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma.

Myelofibrosis

• Is a rare type of blood cancer characterized by the buildup of scar tissue, called “fibrosis,” in the bone marrow.