Search Results

Kendra

I first learned of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) when I participated in a Team in Training (TNT) event to walk a half marathon in San Francisco in October 2004. My friend in Michigan had lost her dad to lymphoma earlier that year, and she was training for the event from her home in Michigan. My training and participation were a way to support her during the loss of her dad. I never thought I could walk that far, and, through the support of the trainers and the motivation to support my friend, I had an awesome time completing that walk.

Caitlyn

My world started to turn upside down in January of 2019 after starting to exercise and trying to lose weight. At first, I thought I had pulled a muscle in my leg. The cramping continued to increase and turned into radiating bone pain. I went to get an x-ray to make sure nothing was broken. There were no broken bones or fractures, so they sent me on my way.

Scott

My experience with lymphoma began unexpectedly in August 2016. I began experiencing back pain with a large swollen band growing diagonally across my back. Thinking it was probably muscular, I went to see my physician who ordered an MRI. Cancer had never crossed my mind when he called me that same day and said I needed to be seen very soon by an oncologist. I was dumbfounded and left with no words. After scans, bloodwork, and a number of doctors collaborating on the findings, it was determined that I had stage 4B peripheral T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (PTCL).

B-Cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia (B-PLL)

B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (B-PLL) is a very rare and typically aggressive malignancy (cancer) characterized by the out of control growth of B-cells (B-lymphocytes).  B-cells are a type of white blood cell that is part of the immune system. B-PLL usually affects older adults with a median age at diagnosis of 69 years, and it is slightly more common in men than women.  Most of the time, B-PLL occurs as a transformation or evolution of a more slow-growing B-cell cancer, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia.  Rarely, this is a primary disorder. 

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).

Ernest

During my summer internship at General Motors in Flint, Michigan, I suddenly started feeling extremely restless. Soon after a lump the side of a golf ball appeared on my neck and I got an extreme sore throat. A doctor told me I just had a sinus infection and gave me Theraflu. 

Michael

In 1995, Michael’s daughter Carley was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), M-7 – a  rare form of blood cancer – at just two and a half years old. For the following year, Michael and his wife, Liz, practically lived at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego while Carley underwent heavy chemotherapy treatment.

Dani

My daughter was a professional dancer out on tour when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She was 25 years old dancing in Detroit, Michigan, at the time, feeling short of breath and having night sweats. Being a dancer, you are in the best shape of your life, and you know when something is going on with your body. So as a mom not knowing what was wrong, I started to panic and told her to start at the urgent care. Two days later I was on a plane heading to Detroit where they told her they thought she had leukemia.

Todd

This cause is dear to me because my grandmother, Anne Zavorskas, passed away several years ago from Hodgkin’s disease--a form of leukemia. Also, many years ago, my mentor’s son, Ryan Hurley, had a recurrence of leukemia, which he was first diagnosed with at the age of three. He died at the age of 19. Unfortunately, leukemia at the time caused more deaths than any other cancer in children under the age of 20.  These instances led me to my desire to donate time and money to this particular charity. I have volunteered my time and fundraising expertise ever since.

Joan

In October 2014, I was handing out candy to my neighborhood’s tiny ghouls and goblins, but the scariest thing that Halloween was a phone call from my doctor. My heart pounded as the doctor told me I had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare blood disorder in which the bone marrow stops functioning properly. My current MDS diagnosis is refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts. My treatment consists of red blood transfusions and Reblozyl® injections.

Steven

In 2017, I was 52 and in pretty good shape. I was at the gym working out, and after a certain lift, I could not get off the bench by myself. After being helped up, I somehow drove myself home. The next morning, I could not get out of bed without my wife lifting me up. We went straight to the doctor and got an MRI. Then we got the news “you have cancer,” and it is eating your vertebrate in your neck. I was sent to a spine and neck specialist and also to a cancer doctor to find out what kind of cancer. Multiple Myeloma (MM) was the diagnosis.

Myra

At age 2, Myra began having fevers and joint pain. Her parents took her to their pediatrician where she had bloodwork done. The results came back normal except it showed she was a little anemic.

“Myra never had any bruising or any issues other than the recurring fever,” according to her father.

Zainab

I'll never forget the call I received on April 17, 2017, when my then-three-year-old niece, Zainab, was diagnosed with leukemia. At the time, she was a bubble-blowing, pose-striking, diva princess. But for the next 2½ years, she became a tiny superhero whose mission was slaying the evil villain cancer. I've always felt a special connection to Zainab starting from the day she was born ― on my birthday, which I also happen to share with my younger sister Noura.

Marlana

My pawpaw, Archie, raised me my entire life. He was in the Air Force and stationed in Korea. He didn't have to, but he took me in as his own. And when I was 11, they got legal guardianship of me. My Dad was still in my life because he was raising my little brother, so I saw him often. but he just didn't raise me. Sometime around 2010, my Pawpaw was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). He went through treatment and chemo which caused him to go into remission.

Krista

Where do I begin? I am a 2x acute myeloid leukemia (AML) survivor with being diagnosed for the first time in 2008 at the age of 38. My family and I received amazing support through The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) both emotionally and financially with the co-pay program, webinars, and information guides.

Greg

In 2017, our world turned upside down when my father, Greg, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The only chance to save his life was a bone marrow transplant. Both of my uncles were tested, but neither was a match. Praying for a match, my father was placed on the donor match list.

Allison

I was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 27 with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). I was a healthy 27-year-old who went to college playing golf and lacrosse. We found the tumor right by my heart, which was inoperable, so the chemo had to work. My husband and I moved back to Cincinnati to get treated at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Mollie

Although I was a cancer patient many years ago, survivorship is a journey I take every day. Ever since my diagnosis, I’ve spent my free time engaging with the childhood cancer community and learning more about myself.

Teri

I was first diagnosed with a myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) called polycythemia vera (PV) in 2012. I must admit, I was a bit overwhelmed when they said the “C” (cancer) word and then the “R” (rare) word. I have been living with a handful of rare diseases for some time and now a rare cancer. At that time, there was limited information. I started to research MPNs, attended some conferences, talked with a social worker (Amy is my hero) at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), and connected with the MPN Research Foundation and MPN Advocacy Foundation.

Celeste

Celeste is my daughter; she was 10 years old when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). She had a cough for about two months that just would not go away, and we thought it was her seasonal asthma coming back, so we made an appointment with her pulmonologist. At the appointment, her doctor paid careful attention to everything we were saying and ordered a chest X-ray that showed a large mass in her chest.

We went straight to Boston Children's Hospital and then on to treatment at The Jimmy Fund.

Fely

Hello, my name is Fely Agustin, I am 38 years old and a mother to two teenagers. One is going to be a freshman in college and another a freshman in high school. I am married to a wonderful husband of almost 17 years. I was diagnosed on May 6, 2015 with Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia (WM).

Steve

I was diagnosed with stage 4 follicular lymphoma on May 16, 2018, a date I will never forget. The cancer was already in my bone marrow and when I asked my doctor how long would I live if I did nothing, she said about 90 days. Dr. Amy is scary smart and I told her I needed to attend my son's wedding in a few months; let's see if you can get me there, even if it is in a basket. I started R-CHOP chemo treatments almost right away. The side effects, discomfort and pain were a 9 everyday. Shockingly, for the weekend of the wedding my pain & discomfort dropped down from a 9 to a 1.

Louis

Louis had been on a journey to achieve greater health. For 10 months, he had been on a healthy diet and exercise program and had lost 80 pounds. His doctors were pleased and he was able to stop taking most medications he was on.  However when he went for an annual physical he was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) at only the age of 33.

Carley

Hi, my name is Carley and I am an angel.  I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 1995 and I died in 1996. I was 3 ½ years old when I died and I tried so hard to live, but AML was just so terrible and there weren’t a lot treatments back then. My parents were so sad when I went to heaven. I’m still 3 ½ years old because up here in heaven we stay the same age and none of us are sick anymore. It’s truly wonderful up here, but there are still way too many of you coming up here from earth because of AML.

Matthew

In September, 2012, Dr. Matthew Levine noticed that his regular exercise routine and rotations in the ER were more physically draining than usual. When Dr. Levine realized he could no longer run a mile like he used to with ease, he contacted his physician.

In the interim, Dr. Levine began developing bruises on his body and a throat infection. He knew that after the testing, the diagnosis would not be good. On Monday, September 17, 2012. Dr. Levine learned he had acute myeloid leukemia (AML).