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Long-Term and Late Effects of Treatment

While treatments for ALL have led to increased survival rates, some may cause significant long-term or late effects. Long-term effects of cancer treatment are medical problems that last for months or years after treatment ends. Late effects are medical problems that do not appear until years, or even possibly decades, after treatment ends.

The long-term and late effects of childhood ALL treatment can include:

Fannie

I was diagnosed in August 2018 with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and at that time, I was seven months postpartum with my daughter who was only 7 months old, and my son was 8 years old. It was a surprise to hear that I had stage 4 cancer! But after my oncologist explained to me what HL was and what the treatment was, I knew that it was treatable. I started chemotherapy in October 2018, and after a month of chemotherapy, I relapsed because my insurance company was giving me a difficult time with chemotherapy treatment approval.

Dylan

I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) the summer of 2017, right before the start of my junior year in high school. Due to slow immune recovery after chemotherapy, I experienced many delays in treatment. By spring of the following year, I had a CNS and marrow relapse, requiring me to have a life-saving bone marrow transplant in June of 2018. Following the transplant, my body struggled to produce enough T-cells, which put me in medical isolation for the entirety of my senior year in high school.

Angelika

In early May 2022, I was experiencing a lingering chronic cough that occurred 24/7 ― nonstop coughing, difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath. Coughing fits would be so unbearable. The harder I coughed, most times I would end up vomiting. At this point, as a full-time, stay-at-home mom, it was difficult for me to care for my one-year-old daughter (at the time) as my health slowly declined, and other symptoms started to arise. On July 13, 2022, I decided to see my primary doctor after I broke out in hives and a rash all over my body for an entire week and to address my cough problem.

Max

Heads or tails? The medical research was clear. Soon after making his way into the world, this beautiful and innocent boy was given the chance of making it to 5 years with the same odds as the flip…of…a…coin. Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) has a 5-year event-free survival rate of 50%. Half of the young children that receive this diagnosis don’t make it. Heads. Or. Tails.

Andrea

In October 2015, my family had just moved to Texas for a new start.  I had a new career, and two young boys ― a 2-year-old and a 7-year-old.

I wasn’t feeling well and went to urgent care one day where we discovered my white blood cell count was 113. They sent me straight to the ER where I was all alone because we had no one here yet and couldn’t bring the kids to the hospital. Three days later, I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Christen

Originally from northern New York, Christen moved to Denver, Colorado, in 2015 after completing her Bachelor of Science of Nursing at Le Moyne College to pursue a career in cancer care. Through a close relationship with her grandparents, she saw how her grandma, a retired registered nurse, graciously cared for her grandpa while he lived with esophageal cancer for close to a decade. The unwavering love, dedication, and courage they shared inspired Christen to seek out a specialty that allowed her to provide compassionate, holistic care to those in need.

Nik

Hello, my name is Nikolas. I am 16 years old, almost 17, and have been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for eight years.

Jessica

I'm a 32-year-old woman, and I battled stage III nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma (NSHL) from ages 27 to 29. It started with the base of my throat being enlarged to experiencing every symptom you could possibly get from this disease as I was misdiagnosed for a year straight. My cancer was diagnosed as . . . wait for it . . . allergies. For a year. Once I was officially diagnosed in October 2021, I had my staging PET scan which revealed I was riddled with tumors in my head, neck, chest, and near my liver.

Jaziel

Hello, my name is Jaziel, and I am a three-time leukemia survivor. My story began in 2008 when I was initially diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). I was treated for a few years and became cancer-free (remission) in 2011. During my first battle with cancer, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) helped me and my family immensely by assisting us with rent, gas, and sometimes simply sharing the stories of other survivors, encouraging me to keep fighting.

LLS Researchers

Partnering for Cures – Our Unique Collaborations Span Continents

Amanda

The word “warrior” seems too tame to describe Amanda Monteiro, a volunteer with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). She’s fueled by her desire to prevent another child from being diagnosed, another parent from having to say goodbye. 

Deanna

Within 24 hours of going to the local emergency room in New York, I found myself being admitted to the Dana Farber/Brigham Women's Cancer Center in Boston. It was August of 2013 and I was exhausted beyond anything my four kids could inflict upon me and shocked to find out it wasn't anemia, I had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Andrew

In 2015, I was living in New York City and noticed a lump under my left armpit when I was in the shower. Nobody likes to go to the doctor to talk about strange bodily findings, so I waited for a few months to see if it would magically go away on its own. It didn't. I finally worked up the courage to make a doctor appointment. I showed the lump to my primary care physician, and he said, "Andrew, that's why you came to see me? Just change your deodorant, and you'll be fine." I'm a nice Jewish boy from the Midwest, so I trust doctors implicitly.

Lauren

After being diagnosed Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age twenty-two, my battle with cancer led to a very unexpected journey in my life: becoming an author. I’m very grateful to share that I’ve now been cancer-free for eight years, and my debut fantasy novel The Memory Thief was published by HarperCollins in October of 2019.

Ethar

Refugee Family Gives Back to LLS after Daughter Survives Leukemia

Sixteen-year-old Ethar and her family moved to the United States from Iraq in 2015. Just one year later, she was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“It all started when my lymph nodes began to swell and the pain became very intense,” said Ethar. “It was at this point, that I went to the emergency room with my father so we could try to make sense of what was happening to me.”

Erin

The night of May 21, 2014, looked like any other that my roommate, Erin, and I would have in our San Francisco apartment. I was busy making the next day's lunch when Erin came home and joined me in the kitchen. We caught each other up on our days, cooked, laughed and planned our next fun adventure. I casually asked how her doctor appointment had gone that day.  That’s when she told me that she had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. A day that looked so normal was anything but.

Cynthia

Cynthia was on a family vacation in 2015 when she began experiencing back pain so severe that she had to be in a wheelchair for the rest of the trip. When she returned home, Cynthia went to see her doctor who referred her to an oncologist. After several tests, Cynthia was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. She was devastated. Chemotherapy and radiation soon followed, along with horrible side effects, sleepless nights and countless blood transfusions. But Cynthia was not going to let cancer defeat her.

Gina

In November 2016, Gina was diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkins lymphoma (nodular sclerosis). She had just started her second year at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences where she studies diagnostic medical imaging in the sonography program which is an accelerated three year bachelor program. In addition to being a full time student, she works Friday evenings and 10 hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday at an Urgent Care Center.

Kessler

Kessler McLaughlin’s life change forever on July 13, 2006. In the months leading up to that day, he was a typical 14-year-old kid, except that he was in pain all the time. Doctors couldn’t figure out why his joints were in so much pain. 

Starlet

When I was born, I was healthy and hardly ever got sick. Well, when I turned one, I had fevers that would come and go and then my mom started to notice I would limp and bruise easily. My mom decided to take me to the hospital after a persistent fever and the limping and bruising got worse. The doctors then referred us to Valley Children’s where they did blood work on me.

After the results came in my parents heard the words no one ever wants to hear: their one-year-old daughter is now diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Lillian & Jerry

In 2011, our son, Jerry, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at three years old, and he has gone through two bone marrow transplants. Though he has been in remission since 2014, he has developed many other diseases due to the treatment and drugs, such as kidney failure, low vision, a compromised immune system, and heart issues. While Jerry was going through cancer treatment, his little sister, Lillian, was born and grew up to be a vibrant and sweet girl. Yet, in an unimaginable twist of fate, the same devastating cancer diagnosis shattered our hope.

Lynn

In 2013, I heard the words that no one wants to hear, "You have cancer." I was 37 years old, healthy, and an active mom of two. After being sick and misdiagnosed for six months, I finally got some answers: stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and I started chemo immediately.

Your mind goes to places that you are never prepared for. Two young children that depended on you . . . all the what ifs, what will happen ifs . . .

Izarhea

First of all, I want to thank God for keeping me sane as he forced me to grow this year. On June 25, 2023, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and to be honest, I wasn't tripping at first because I had no idea what that meant. Then my mom explained to me that I had cancer. I went from ending my junior year to celebrating my 17th birthday to getting my port installed and starting chemo all in the same month. I remember telling my dad how scared I was for my whole life to change, but I eventually saw how necessary that was.

Linda

My blood cancer story began in 2015 with a diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). It was scary, and there were so many unknowns. Today it’s 9½ years later, and I know a few more things about blood cancers.

First, today my cancer is undetectable! But as my doctors have told me, it’s chronic, so I’ll always have to be proactive and take medication.