Search Results

Emily

Emily, a 32-year-old mother of three young children, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in August 2013. After a whirlwind of intense treatments over the next two years including chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant and months of hospitalization, Emily relapsed soon after each treatment. In January 2015, Emily was given a devastating prognosis – doctors said she had six months to live. 

Nancy

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2008. For a year, I was in the “watch and wait” category with no treatment until the disease progressed. In April 2009 I progressed to “active disease” and began treatments followed by an autologous stem cell transplant in January 2010.

Sophia

My wife and I would have never heard of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) if it were not for losing our 12-year-old daughter on March 12, 2013 to undiagnosed leukemia. If you've heard me speak of my daughter Sophia, you've heard this word: perfect. Her laugh, her eyes, her beautiful smile were all perfect. Sophia was a loving, kind and compassionate child. She loved her friends, her dogs (Katie & Daisy), and her family. Perfect. Sophia's story is very different from others.

Lillie

My name is Lillie, and I am a Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor. I was diagnosed in 2010 at the age of 22. At the time, I was the mother to two young boys, ages 4 months and 2 years old. I was afraid and didn't know what would happen to me because all I have ever heard about cancer was that a lot of people don't make it. I kept my faith in God and continued to be strong for my children.

Nikki

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) about a month and a half ago at the age of 26. This was my first year out of nursing school; I had just landed my dream job, and I was in the midst of planning my wedding. This was supposed to be “my year” to enjoy my 20s finally. Getting diagnosed was a huge shock to me, my friends, and my family. I will be transparent and say the hardest part so far is navigating the financial hardships.

Nicole

In the summer of 2016, I wasn't feeling like my usual energetic self and felt tired all the time. Initially, I attributed my tiredness to my busy life as a wife and mother with a full-time job outside the home. Some of my other symptoms were weight loss, night sweats, and a persistent feeling that something was always stuck in my throat.

Nicole

Just two weeks into my junior year of high school, I was pulled out of class at lunch and packed a small overnight bag, not realizing I wouldn’t return to school for the entire year. 

My name is Nicole, and in 2022, I celebrated the 10-year anniversary of that life-altering day. 

Lawrence Paul "LP"

In July of 2017, our world was turned upside down. Our son, Larry Paul (LP), was experiencing back pain and was extremely tired. After multiple trips to doctors and ER visits over seven days, he was taken down to UMMC in Baltimore and diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). After a 28-day battle of fighting ferociously, he passed away. When he was sent home from the hospital after 24 days, the doctors were convinced that he was going to beat this. The toxic chemo created a massive pulmonary embolism that went undetected.

Clio

I lost my mom to acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 2003. Her battle was short, just three months, which left me in shock and feeling very angry. My mom had always instilled in me the value of working hard to accomplish goals and I knew she wouldn’t want me wasting energy being angry. In late 2004, I decided to find a way to channel the anger into something productive, and just weeks later I came across a Team In Training (TNT) brochure. I started running half marathons with TNT and I’ve since completed about a dozen. 

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.

Riley

In November of 2021, I found a lump on my neck that lead me to my primary care doctor's walk-in clinic due to the amount of growth I had seen over a few weeks. I believed it to be related to thyroid or my previous diagnosis of lupus of the skin, which I later found out I did not actually have. The doctor at the clinic sent me for a CT scan of my neck and an ultrasound at which point it was determined that I had lymphoma. I received a few more CT scans that showed more masses in my lungs and the majority of my upper body.

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.

Jorel

On June 11, my son Jorel Cunningham was diagnosed with stage three diffuse large B cell lymphona, primary lesion of the bone, after 5 biopsies. Here is his story: 

In February of 2011, seven days after his 13 birthday, he slipped and fell on a patch of ice, and we thought he had broken his leg. The swelling he had was actually from a large tumor in his left distal femur.

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.

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.

Lauren

In the fall of 2022, my cousin lost her battle with leukemia. She was the most lovely (a word that makes me think of her) and kind person, and at the memorial service, Kate's sister said Kate had said, "There is nothing better than to be young and to run." This sentiment stuck with me for a long time as I am also a runner, and I started thinking about how I could honor her in my own way. The family had directed those who wished to donate to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), so I researched and discovered Team In Training (TNT).

Joy

My mother, Joy, was diagnosed in 2015 with follicular lymphoma (FL) in her stomach. She went into remission after chemo treatment. Six months later, it came back, this time more aggressive and on the outside of her organs. They did CHOP chemo and then a bone marrow transplant. She went into remission for a second time. Eight months later, she wasn't feeling spectacular, so we took her back to the doctor. She was diagnosed with large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The mass was in her uterus and had grown so fast and massive that it blasted through her bladder.

Carolyn

In November 2014, my daughter Valerie was born. Shortly after, I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection by my doctor and received 3 rounds of antibiotics because it just wasn’t going away. Life was hectic as I learned to care for my newborn and I was getting into a new routine. Some of my lymph nodes became swollen. I was having night sweats. I developed a rash and high fevers.

Kent

When Noah was born in 2005, we were surprised when the doctor told us he had Down syndrome.  Soon after, we were informed about all of the things that Noah wouldn’t or couldn’t do in his lifetime.  We were also given a laundry list of medical problems that he could potentially have.  Two months after he was born, Noah went into heart failure and had open heart surgery to correct four holes in his heart.  This was a tough time but boy did we have more to come and didn’t know it.  He has since had multiple surgeries, tests, studies, etc.  We were told that Noa

Keith

Hi! My name is Keith. I’m currently 37 years old. I was diagnosed on November 6, 2015, with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). My wife, Tesia, was proudly serving in our finest Navy at the Pentagon when I received the news. She came home, and I had to deliver the news to her. It was rough; it was scary; it was a blur. I felt like I was on autopilot.

Jason T.

My name is Jason T. Quimby and I am the proud past caregiver of my wife and ALL survivor Susana Moro. In November 2016, my wife, was diagnosed ALL leukemia ph+ and admitted to the Miami Cancer Institute South Miami Campus to start her pediatric chemo protocol. Needless to say that for a forty-something mother of three teenage girls this was a huge personal and family challenge to overcome.

Aiden

I am writing to share about my son, Aiden, who is our real superhero and has superpowers that shine bright through his love of dance. From a very young age, we considered Aiden to be our gifted child. He has a free spirit and loves to connect with the world and others in it. His parents have taught him to "dream big" and "reach for the stars" and he can do whatever he puts his mind to.

Lori

Lori’s journey to becoming a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) volunteer began back in 2002 through her own experience with being diagnosed with Myelofibrosis (MF). Lori had just embarked on a new job as a real estate agent to a new home builder when she began to feel extremely tired and have pain in her hands. She chalked up her sickness to a case of the flu; however, after deciding to go to her doctor, he recommended some blood work which came back showing high white counts. Her doctor referred her to an Oncologist who did a bone marrow biopsy.