Search Results
Gerardo (Jerry)
I came into this world with a 65,000-mile warranty. During all my life, maybe I had a cold once in a while, some minor stuff, a bit of bursitis, but nothing that you would consider life-threatening at all. One day during a routine exam, I had blood work done. My PCP told me she didn't like my white blood cell count, and it was best to have a specialist look at it. She referred me to an oncologist. I didn’t think of it much, and since I was feeling fine, I thought it must be nothing of consequence.
Rick
Rick Ostroff and his family have a legacy of philanthropy with a heartfelt connection to a disease he never had. During the first three years of his life, he spent time on the leukemia floor of Children’s Hospital in Boston but eventually was found to have the critical illness of gamma globulin anemia rather than then-fatal leukemia.
Heriberto
I was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) on Friday the 13th ― August 13, 2021, to be exact ― seven months after being married, three months after my wedding reception, and going on my honeymoon.
Allie
When I was in fourth grade in 2015, my older brother Nate (a freshman in high school at the time) was rushed by ambulance to the U of M Masonic Children’s Hospital. His spleen was holding 10 times the normal amount of red blood cells. This led to the discovery of his cancer. He was later diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). He missed out on the first month of high school and hockey season, but he was able to take medicines at home so that he could eventually attend the rest of the school year.
Tim
On March 10, 2015 I reached another milestone and turned 60 years young. I have been blessed with good health and the ability to swim, bike, and run. For over a decade I have been involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a board member and participant in more than a dozen fundraising triathlons/marathons for Team In Training events all over the world. My efforts will continue until cures for blood-related cancers are realized.
Lincoln
In the fall of 2017, Lincoln was not feeling well and had typical cold virus symptoms. He also had a recurring fever and an unexplained rash. After two trips to the pediatrician, the doctor thought he had a persistent virus and then bronchitis. On our third visit, they thought he may have mono, so bloodwork was taken, and we were told to go to Children’s Hospital immediately. We were scared and had no idea what was wrong. Cancer was not even a thought.
Leigh
In August 2019, I developed pneumonia for the third time in two years. I had been finding that my ability to fight off illness was not as good as it used to be. Once it got to the point that I was having problems breathing, I decided to go to urgent care. Two years prior, I had been hospitalized for pneumonia, and I wasn’t looking forward to it happening again. I Googled the nearest urgent care, and it was closed. There was only one nearby that was open, but I had never been before.
Relapsed and Refractory
Refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is NHL that has not responded to initial treatment. Refractory disease may be disease that is getting worse or staying the same.
Relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is NHL that responded to treatment but then returns.
Ilse
Thirty years ago I was told I needed additional blood tests after a routine check-up. I was too busy to follow those instructions. Looking back, it probably was an excuse not to have to face the truth. My fatigue and many infections I had attributed to stress in my personal life. I convinced myself there was nothing to worry about.
Nina
Back in March 2015, my then 26-year-old daughter was not feeling well. She had severe abdominal pain, overwhelming fatigue, night sweats, a low-grade fever, a headache, and appeared to be losing weight. At the time, my daughter was working as a speech language pathologist in a hospital in Maryland. She was misdiagnosed by an ER droctor and two months later, after her primary care doctor ordered an ultrasound, we found that she had innumerable tumors in her lungs and spleen. We saw an oncologist the next day who ordered more blood work and a PET scan, as well as a bon
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.
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.
Jania
In November 2018, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It's a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow that progresses very rapidly. When I was initially diagnosed, I believed my life was over. As a seventeen-year-old high school student attending school from a homeless shelter, going to bed hungry most nights, I considered dropping out to help my mother with my younger sister and brother. I couldn't fathom the financial burdens that would follow with medical treatment. I felt like the more I attempted to correct things, the worse they became.
Mara
I was in my second to last year of nursing school and just over one year into my marriage when the headaches became too much to bear. I was 21. I was tired all of the time, but I was working in a busy ER and going to class when I wasn't at work. I had lost some weight, but I had been exercising more and getting a lot while working in the ER. I had a cough, but they tell you that you'll be sick a lot when you're in nursing school. Unfortunately, I happened to touch my neck one day while studying with classmates for a big exam. There was a lump there that I had never felt before.
Donna
The year 2021 was quite a year for us. It was the year of cancer. No one ever really prepares themselves for the diagnosis of cancer, and when you're told you have it, the emotional roller coaster you are about to embark on cannot ever be fully described in words. The fear, the exhaustion, the financial burden, the feeling of helplessness you experience is completely terrifying. In the year 2021, we started the fight of all fights, the fight to save my husband's life. This is our story of cancer. Our story of love, life, hope, and healing.
Sara
My name is Sara, and I am an acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivor! I was diagnosed with ALL suddenly in November 2023 at 31 years old. I was feeling off a few months before my diagnosis, but I thought I was overdoing it at the gym, not eating well enough, not stretching enough, and not drinking enough water. Even my ribs were hurting to the point where drinking water was painful, but I thought I still did too much at the gym.
Matthew "Scott"
On January 11th, 2019 at 9:35 p.m., exactly 11 days before my baby brother's 40th birthday cancer decided to come to the party uninvited. It would be the first time in my life that I would see my mother, the strongest person I know, collapse in utter disbelief. He had a cough he couldn't shake, his doctor sent him for some blood work at lunchtime, by dinnertime his platelets were 7,000 and his Dr. said he should go to the hospital for some tests, and by bedtime we were transporting him to The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
Amy
My story begins on Christmas Eve 2008. My daughter was a 8th grader and was singing her first solo during Christmas Eve mass. I was sick!
Nicolas
My name is Nicolas and I am 14 years old. Before my diagnosis I was a completely healthy child, in fact I was rarely ever sick. I played baseball, had straight A’s, and recently had recently got a new puppy. This sense of normalcy came to a screeching halt on January 13, 2018. That’s the day I was admitted into the pediatric ICU and the day I first heard the words, “you have cancer.” My family and I were devastated.
Treatment Outcomes
Treatment results and outcomes vary among patients. The advent of the chemotherapy drug cladribine (Leustatin®) has resulted in approximately an 85 percent rate of complete remission (no evidence of the disease) and approximately 10 percent rate of partial response.
Many patients remain disease free for years or decades after treatment with cladribine or pentostatin (Nipent®) and have a normal life expectancy.
Tim
I knew multiple myeloma (MM) was a blood cancer. After all, my mom was diagnosed with myeloma at 62 years old in 2005. It’s extremely rare that I should also be diagnosed in 2021, but it happened. There’s no strong data that shows that it’s hereditary at this point. But more doctors are seeing family members being diagnosed. It's also becoming one of the most diagnosed cancers among African Americans.
Types of Complementary Therapies
An integrative healthcare team evaluates the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of each patient and then recommends specific therapies and lifestyle changes as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Team members consider the scientific evidence, identify risks and benefits, and take into account individual preferences when they advise patients about complementary therapies.
Rex
In December 2023, I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t catch my breath, so my wife called an ambulance. I was taken to a nearby hospital where I was diagnosed with blood cancer, Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL), to be exact.
Sofia
My name is Janaye, and I am the mother of Sofia, age 4. Her father's name is Gary. On September 1, 2023, Sofia was diagnosed with pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B-ALL). She was three. Today, I will share the story of her diagnosis and our journey thus far.