Search Results
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.
Polycythemia Vera
Polycythemia Vera (PV)- Is one of a related group of blood cancers known as “myeloproliferative neoplasms” (MPNs). Too many red blood cells are made in the bone marrow and, in many cases, the numbers of white blood cells and platelets are also elevated.
- With careful medical supervision, PV can usually be managed effectively for many years.
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.
Gwendolyn
Gwendolyn describes herself as a wanderlust who never likes to let the grass grow under her feet. After college, she moved from her hometown in Florida to Houston and spent the next few years moving around Texas for work. She started her new life in Texas where her son, Sterling, was born and raised. She loves traveling, but following a trip to Belize, she started to notice white spots on her skin and other strange issues happening with her health. After doing some research on her own and going to the doctors, she was told she likely had lupus.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and the ALL subtype usually involves a series of tests. An accurate diagnosis of the subtype is important. The exact diagnosis helps the doctor
- Estimate how the disease will progress
- Determine the appropriate treatment
In children, a diagnosis of ALL generally requires a finding that 25 percent or more of the cells in the bone marrow are leukemic blasts of lymphoid origin (lymphoblasts).
Virginia
I have been living with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) since August 6, 1997. The way I see it, I’m alive today because of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The pill I take each day that keeps my leukemia in remission exists today much because of research grants awarded to Brian Druker, M.D., PhD., of Oregon Health & Science University.
Follow-Up Care and Survivorship
Survivorship WorkbookUse this Survivorship Workbook to collect all the important information you need throughout diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care and long-term management of a blood cancer.
Lori
Our daughter Britta Wolfarth was 19 when she was diagnosed with AML. We were shocked because we thought it was a blood disorder due to her lupus. The same day for the guy diagnosed she started treatment at West Penn in Pittsburgh right away.
Britta underwent months of chemo and radiation. Britta had to have a bone marrow transplant. Her first owner fell through but the transplant team at West Penn never gave up and found us another donor 2 months later from the National Registry.
Marie
In early 2017 we found out my husband Miguel had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diffuse large B-cell. It was the most frightening and overwhelming time of our lives. To this day I am amazed at how we got through it.
Layla
"Our LLS chapter has been there for us, with support and information that has helped immensely. We've formed a friends and family Ttam for the Light The Night Walk and it feels so rewarding to raise funds to help others who, like Layla, are bravely battling blood cancers." Alecia | Layla's mom
Ashlyn
My name is Ashlyn, and I am a leukemia survivor. At the age of 17, during my senior year of high school, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is a rare cancer that affects your bone marrow and blood. My life changed on March 21, 2023, when I got this news. How could this be possible? Why me? Will I survive? These were some of the first few questions that entered my mind. I went through five rounds of chemotherapy and nine grueling months of being inpatient in the hospital. I wasn't able to go on my senior class trip to Disney World or attend senior prom.
Julian
I was a 10-year-old kid when I was diagnosed with leukemia. I was a happy, energetic kid who loved being outside and was a straight-A student. However, my whole childhood was put on hold indefinitely once I had cancer. Rather than having sleepovers at my friend’s houses, I was sleeping over at the hospital. It was hard to lose my energy, smile, confidence, and hair as treatment took over my life. It was really hard to understand as I was just a kid getting injections, procedures, chemotherapy, and surgery without truly understanding why.
Julie
My name is Julie. I’m a loving mother of three outstanding kids, a successful businesswoman, wife, breast cancer survivor, and now mother of a true cancer warrior. Ellis, my now 9-year-old son (age 4 at diagnosis), was diagnosed on March 21, 2020 with leukemia. This diagnosis was mere days after the world spiraled into shutdown from COVID-19.Our life, as my family and I knew it, was forever changed the week of March 15, 2020.
Signs and Symptoms
It is common for children with AML to feel a loss of well-being because of the underproduction of normal bone marrow cells.
Symptoms of a low red blood cell count (called “anemia”) include the following:
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Shortness of breath during normal physical activities
- Lightheadedness, dizziness or faintness
- Headaches
- Pale complexion
Symptoms of a low white blood cell count (called “neutropenia”) include the following:
Diagnosis
Diagnosing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and your ALL subtype usually involves a series of tests. An accurate diagnosis of the subtype is important. The exact diagnosis helps the doctor
Michael and Ashlee
Michael and Ashlee have a unique mother-son relationship. They share a podcast about their cancer journey. They have a website and a YouTube channel, and, yes, they even do rap songs about their hospital experiences together.
Diagnosis
An accurate diagnosis is one of the most important aspects of a person’s medical care. Obtaining a precise diagnosis will help the doctor to:
- Estimate how the disease will progress
- Determine the appropriate treatment
The results of blood tests that accompany periodic medical examinations may indicate the need for further evaluation for myeloma. These include an elevated protein level, anemia and abnormalities in kidney function or calcium levels.
Stem Cell Transplantation
For some high-risk patients who are in remission, the doctor may recommend stem cell transplantation during the consolidation phase of chemotherapy.
T-Cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia (T-PLL)
T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is an extremely rare and typically aggressive malignancy (cancer) that is characterized by the out of control growth of mature T-cells (T-lymphocytes). T-cells are a type of white blood cell that protects the body from infections. T-PLL affects older adults with a median age at diagnosis of 61 years, and it is more common in men than in women.
Fertility
“Fertility” describes the ability to conceive a biological child. Human reproduction requires three elements: mature sperm, mature eggs and a person with a uterus to carry the pregnancy and give birth. Some cancers and some cancer treatments affect fertility.
Allie
When I was in fourth grade, back in 2015, my older brother Nate (a freshman in high school at the time) was rushed down by ambulance to the U of M Masonic Children’s Hospital. His spleen was holding 10x the normal amount of red blood cells. This led to the discovery of his cancer. He was later diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
Armaan
In January 2014, Armaan celebrated his 5th birthday. He was tested for anemia a few days later at the urging of his pediatrician as he looked a little pale. Our world was rocked several hours later when the pediatrician called to notify us that Armaan had leukemia.
Armaan was immediately admitted into Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Stanford where he had a PICC line inserted into his arm and started his first round of chemotherapy. He is now in remission although he faces two more years of treatment to help ensure he doesn't relapse.
Janet
I support LLS because leukemia and lymphoma has impacted my family. On Mother’s Day in 2006, my cousin's six year-old daughter, Sydney was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). After a year of fighting so hard, Sydney passed away.
The doctors at the New York Hospital were amazed and acknowledge that because Sydney did not give up and she fought such a painful battle, she had done so much for the advancement of research in leukemia.