Search Results

Christy

I fell in love with distance running in 2010 while training for my first marathon as a member of Team In Training, raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Since then, I have completed five full marathons and one ultra-marathon (49K). I started getting into mountain running in 2016, and aspire to run some mountain races here in Alaska, including Mount Marathon in Seward!

Shelley

Twenty years ago I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). My husband, Remi and I were married and just moved to Virginia, where Remi was stationed in the Navy. In the short six weeks we lived there, I never felt 100% and I was at the doctor four times in six weeks. At my last appointment, I requested that they draw my blood. They told me I had mono, my counts were so low, they took me by ambulance to the nearest hospital.

Dana

I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in January 2018. I was lucky enough to get into City of Hope which is about 25 minutes from my house. I received all my treatment there. The first treatment was R-CHOP chemotherapy which required me to be in the hospital three to five days every three weeks for six months. I relapsed after six months and did an autologous bone marrow transplant in March of 2019. After about eight months, I relapsed again and prepared for an unrelated donor transplant.

Carlos

In 2019, I was diagnosed with stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a life-altering moment that set me on a challenging path. I endured rigorous chemotherapy treatments, followed by a life-saving transplant in 2020. Afterward, I underwent 18 additional rounds of maintenance therapy. Today, I am proud to say I've been in remission for nearly five years.

Matilda

In March 2024, during my first year of college as an international student in America, I was diagnosed with lymphoma. The diagnosis came unexpectedly during a compulsory admissions check-up where they discovered a tumor in my chest that had grown extensively within just two months.

Sherri

I lost my dad to leukemia 20 years ago, fundraising all year in his honor for the year he knew about his diagnosis but didn’t tell anyone. We also lost his mom (grandma) to leukemia in 2002 and my mother-in-law in 2007 to leukemia. I proudly support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and try to donate every year, but this year, I hope to donate a big chunk to help current patients and their families.

Zoraa

Being a cancer survivor was never on my bucket list.

Suzanne

My mother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) in February 1987. She passed away in December 1997. I was diagnosed with MM in February 2017. My diagnosis was not only a surprise but daunting because I was my mother’s caregiver and experienced what she faced battling this disease.  I’m currently undergoing treatment with the bispecific drug Teclistamab with success. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has provided me with educational and financial assistance, so I greatly appreciate this organization.  

Jamaal

Jamaal Simmons had non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL). He was such a brave person. He worked at Publix supermarket and he went to Clark Atlanta University. He was about to graduate from college when he passed away.

It is now 14 years since he's been gone. But I still donate and collect donations and I've been doing this for many years. I will keep on doing it to help fight this blood cancer.

- Jamaal's mom, Sharon Williams.

Rhonda

This is my second time participating in the Light The Night as a cancer survivor. I have had blood cancer twice.

In 2012 I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. After being in remission for almost 7 years on December 17, 2018 I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I had a bone marrow transplant in March and I am in remission.

I must say I’m grateful that team NCA (National Christian Academy’s school cheerleaders) would do Light The Night in my honor.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy, also known as “radiotherapy,” uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells in a small, targeted area of the body. Since radiation can also harm normal cells, whenever possible, radiation therapy is directed only at the affected lymph node areas in order to reduce the long-term side effects.

Diana

My introduction to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) began in the early 2000s. I joined a Light The Night Team to support research and programs for cancer patients. I then discovered Team In Training and ran my first marathon and my second as a Team Mentor. At the time, I knew cancer was a terrible disease, but it wasn’t until 2012 that cancer became more personal. In May 2012, my cousin Richard, who was like an older brother to me, passed away from pancreatic cancer. Just two years later, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Bruce

I was diagnosed with stage III mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) in October 2004 following a routine physical exam. I wasn’t feeling ill, but since I quit smoking many years ago, as a precaution, my primary care physician recommended having a computed tomography (CT) scan of my lungs to see if I had any residual damage.

David

I walked into urgent care with a cough, they took an X-ray and discovered a mass in my chest that was 18x14x13 cm. I was hospitalized that same day and then was officially diagnosed with stage 3 mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). This occurred in 2018 just days after my 23rd birthday and only seven months after I moved to New York City. 

I decided to run the NYC marathon this year with Team In Training (TNT) because 2023 marks five years of being cancer-free!  

Dr. Adams

Jerry M. Adams, Ph.D., leads an LLS Specialized Center of Research grant.

His team is investigating apoptosis, the nature process of cell death. When apoptosis goes wrong it can lead to proliferation of cancer cells. It cells fail to die when they are supposed to they can develop into leukemia, lymphoma or multiple myeloma, and become more resistant to treatment. To improve treatment, the team is studying new drugs, used either alone or in combination with other therapies, to flip on the cell death switch.

Mona

I was 13 years old when I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). That was in 1997, and I can now proudly say I’ve been cancer-free for 21 years! But being a 21-year cancer survivor comes with a lifelong diagnosis and long-term effects. But no matter the fight, I’m thankful each day for the opportunity to say I’m a “survivor.” And I do my absolute best to thrive each day and continue the fight for those who have left us too soon.

Asistencia Financiera Local

Yolanda

As many people were afraid to go to the doctor I was propelled to have a colonoscopy due to the death of Chadwick Bozeman. That decision changed my life. In December 2020, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at age 44. Here I was amid a pandemic, just celebrating Christmas and ringing in the New Year as a newly diagnosed cancer patient. Like many people diagnosed with cancer, my first thought was, “I’m going to die.” I thought I’d die before seeing my daughter grow up.

Deborah

I am a 54-year-old mother of two, the owner of a small business, Park Hill Yoga and have been married for 22 years. Being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in December 2015 came as the biggest surprise of my life.

Joshua

Joshua is a nine-year, two-time blood cancer survivor. He was first diagnosed at age six with non-Hodgkin T-cell lymphoma. Joshua remembers it was January 15, 2005, when he told his mother and grandmother that his “heart was hurting.” After being admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital and undergoing blood tests and X-rays, Joshua was diagnosed with lymphoma and, a few days later, started chemotherapy. He recalls laying down to take a nap at his grandfather’s home and waking up with most of his hair still on the pillow.

Chris

When I started this journey six years ago, I never would have imagined I would take part in TEN Team In Training events, but losing a great friend can motivate you to do incredible things.

Rachel

Rachel was diagnosed with stage 4B Hodgkin lymphoma in February 2015. She was 26 years old. The moment when her oncologist first spoke the words “you have cancer” were surreal to her. She looked to her parents who exchanged the same look of disbelief and shock, then quickly looked away before fear and sadness settled across their faces. Her mind started to race, “How am I stage 4? I don’t feel that sick. This has to be a mistake, where did this even come from? What happens now?”

Corey

Rewind to 2012, I was 35 years old, married and father of three. I was IBEW electrical lineman for a utility company and climbed poles all day (as seen in this photo). I noticed I had a severe stomach pain on my right side and was extremely fatigued. I went to the doctor for a checkup and got the all ok. We contributed the stomach pain to my climbing belt and the fatigue to working extreme amounts of overtime and being on callouts 24/7.

Patience

We were clobbered, like every patient, every family, who gets clobbered with a life-threatening diagnosis.

Amanda

As a popular entertainment anchor on the “Good Day LA” morning show in Los Angeles, Amanda Salas has always kept busy. But after she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in June 2019, she has had to refocus all her energy and time on fighting for her life.