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Watch-and-Wait

Some people with MDS who do not have very low blood cell counts or other symptoms may not need to start treatment immediately. Some people can manage their MDS with their doctors for years or even decades using a watch-and-wait (observation) approach. By using the watch-and-wait method, your MDS specialist can monitor your condition with regular physical exams and blood tests. The watch-and-wait approach lets you avoid therapy's side effects until you need treatment. Treating MDS during this early stage has not proved helpful. 

Ph-Positive ALL Therapy

In addition to chemotherapy combinations, children with Philadelphia chromosomepositive (Ph+) ALL and Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) ALL are also given a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) medication.

Tyrosine kinases are enzymes that are a part of many cell functions including cell signaling, growth and division. These enzymes may become too active in patients with an ALL subtype called Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL (Ph+ ALL).

Treatment Outcomes

Parents of JMML patients are advised to discuss survival information with their child’s hematologist-oncologist. Keep in mind that outcome data can show how other children with JMML responded to treatment, but it cannot predict how any one child will respond.

Signs and Symptoms

MF usually develops slowly. MF often does not cause early symptoms and may be found during a routine blood test. When fibrosis develops in the bone marrow, the bone marrow is unable to produce enough normal blood cells. The lack of blood cells causes many of the signs and symptoms of MF. These include:

Lowering High White Blood Cell Counts

Some patients may have very high white blood cell (WBC) counts at the time of diagnosis. These elevated WBC counts can sometimes impair blood flow to the brain, lungs, eyes and other sites, and also cause damage in small blood vessels.

Melva

I am a survivor of lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin). I was diagnosed with two kinds of cancer at the same time.

When the doctors finally found out what I had, I was already a stage 4. After more than a year of treatment and a stem cell transplant, I can say that I am cancer free. I don't say that too loud because I don't want to make something inside me come back. One doctor even told me that I was going to die. I did not give up!

Selina

My story starts when I was just eight months old. In March of 1994, it was discovered that I had a cheek tumor. Doctors removed the tumor, and I was treated with chemotherapy. I relapsed at two years old in 1995. I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Leukemic lesions had spread to my brain. I received intense chemotherapy and 14 days of cranial irradiation. I was very lucky that my little sister was born in June of 1995. Doctors had saved her umbilical cord (her stem cells). I underwent more chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant in October 1995.

Tasnim

What started as an internship opportunity turned into so much more for Tasnim Al-Smadi when she began working with LLS in the summer of 2021. Tasnim, who is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management at the University of Texas at Dallas, was initially drawn to an internship at LLS because she is interested in working at a non-profit healthcare organization after graduation.

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.

Roger

I'd like to share how when life looks dark, we never know what's over the horizon. Not quite eight years ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma with a 50% chance to live 2½ years. I was blindsided, to say the least. I'm happy to say I've been in remission for over five years now. Once I received chemo, I never got the energy back I once had, and being a physical workaholic, this changed my life. I began practicing the guitar that I've had for years and put into this daily. I guess you could say it became a mental therapy for me as well as a new way to enjoy my life.

Alexandra

My dad was diagnosed with leukemia this past fall. Our family was left in utter shock as my dad was the epitome of health his whole life. From our yearly ski trips, hiking and biking excursions, and running four marathons (motivating me to run my first with him), there was nothing he couldn’t do. He still continues to be the strongest man I know five months into his battle. He continues to face every day with a smile on his face and his head held high.

Marty

My story is very unique. Christine and I got married in July of 1979. In August she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). As we all now know, the prognosis at that time was not the best for an adult with ALL. There was a new procedure called a bone marrow transplant. Chris was not a candidate and seven months after we were married, she passed away at the age of 26. 

Stephanie

Ever since I saw my dad run the New York City Marathon in 2019, I knew it was something that I wanted to strive toward. When the pandemic hit in 2020, I put that dream on pause to start a full-time job as a clinical research coordinator for bone marrow transplants. 

Taylor

Hello! I am Taylor, and most people know me for being a human biology premed student at the University of California San Diego. However, what most people don’t know is I was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in March of this year. I have systemic mastocytosis (SM) which leads to lots of anaphylactic reactions and hospital visits. I spend lots of time getting tests because my cancer is rare and infusions at the cancer center. I have had several types of chemotherapy drugs and many biopsies.

Katie

Ten days following the birth of my son in May, I developed a mass on my upper left thigh/groin area. After several weeks of being seen by multiple physicians, it was decided that I would need a surgical biopsy to determine if we were dealing with cancer or a benign growth.

Geoff

We went to our local hospital with what we thought was kidney stone pain! Fast forward 10 hours later and we had a surgeon tell us Geoff had stage 4 cancer, fast forward another 3 days, a hospital transfer, and he found out the monster we were dealing with was stage 4 Burkitts lymphoma and if we hadn’t come in he would have died in 3 weeks!

GiGi

When I was diagnosed in 2002 I was in such a fog, all that I can really remember is the doctor saying "You have..." I had acute myeloid leukemia and given 6 weeks to live. I just felt that could not be the end for me.

I went through the chemo, hospital stays all while trying to raise 4 small children and I made it through it all. Thank goodness, right? Fast forward to 2017 the day after my 48th birthday. I began to feel weak and extremely fatigued, without trying to "self- diagnose" myself, this feeling was all too familiar.

Jan

We were living the American dream. I married my college sweetheart Michael, and we celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary last fall. We have a wonderful son, who is engaged to a fabulous young woman, and they have launched their life together in Indianapolis.

Amanda

In 2015 at the age of 21, I went to my local ER three times for lower back pain and was sent home every time. After a wonderful Disney trip, I went to my local ER with severe back and stomach pain. After several tests, the doctors told me it looked like I had large tumors in both lungs. Eventually, I had a biopsy which confirmed my worse fear — I had stage 4 large B cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma. My whole world turned upside-down.

Quade

Quade “Q” Marks is a 14-year-old freshman at East High School in Denver, Colorado.  He loves to play lacrosse, ski, snowboard and aspires to be a trauma surgeon. He is also a blood cancer survivor.

Aleta

I was diagnosed on August 13, 2013 with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It was totally out of the blue. I had been married for just a year at the time of my diagnosis and sadly my husband couldn't handle a wife with cancer and we divorced.

Doug

On July 16, 2014 I had just finished eating out at our local diner. When standing at the register to pay, my defibrillator fired and an ambulance was called. Within two hours of arriving at the emergency room I found out I had leukemia. I had had no symptoms other than the lab work that showed the disease. I was in disbelief when I heard the words "very aggressive form of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL)." By the next afternoon I was started on a heavy regiment of arsenic and ATRA chemotherapy treatment.

Elsie

In November 2013, after experiencing several severe nose bleeds, I was diagnosed with a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer called Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia. It was in stage IV and I started chemotherapy treatments immediately.

Kevin

My brest friend, Kevin McDowell has dreamed of going to the Olympics for triathlon since he was 13 years old. Shortly after winning bronze at the ITU Junior World Championships and three days after his first professional race in 2011, Kevin was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Johanna

I am a teacher from Texas. My journey to Team and Training wasn’t immediate. I moved to Texas from Louisiana. When I moved to Texas, I decided to start running to meet people and to help with my homesickness.