Search Results

Savanna

My name is Savanna, I’m 24 years old, and I am a two-time Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor! I was diagnosed in 2017 when I was 18 during my freshman year of college. I had been severely sick for a year and a half with symptoms ranging from nausea, vomiting, unexplained weight loss, lack of appetite to a distended abdomen, debilitating migraines, swollen lymph nodes all over my body, extreme fatigue, and drenching night sweats. I had test after test done, saw doctor after doctor, and after months of being my own advocate, I had finally received a diagnosis.

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.

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).

Madeline

My daughter is Madeline Conley.  On January 7, 2014, three days after her 15th birthday,  she was diagnosed with leukemia (AML/MDS).  She was a high school cheerleader and cheer coach who was basically ripped out of her normal active life and immediately admitted to the hospital, where she spent the next five months. It was the scariest thing we've ever been through.

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.”

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).

Keisha

In 2017, I was diagnosed with a rare and chronic form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). I was beyond devastated as I knew there was no cure for my condition, and I also knew my life would be altered in many ways. I was also finishing my last semester in graduate school and almost gave up my dream of graduating. But with the support of my family, school, physicians, and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), I persisted and received my Master of Education in 2018.

Casey

It was in May, 2014 that 24-year-old Casey Moore began experiencing her first symptoms of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). For a week straight, Casey had been vomiting every day and was losing a significant amount of weight. This was unusual, as prior to her symptoms, she considered herself a happy, healthy woman focused on her relationship and career. At the time, she was living with her boyfriend and working full time in a chiropractic office -- with no apparent signs of an illness.

Joe

On August 2, 2018 I took my husband Joe for outpatient surgery to repair a torn cartilage on his left knee, he was prepped up and ready to go, when his orthopedic surgeon came in and told him his surgery was cancelled, he showed us his blood work and talked about possible cancer. We were advised to go directly to his primary care doctor, as we drove to the doctor’s office our heads were spinning as we tried to comprehend what we were just told.

Charlene

Cancer. That is a word that is scary. So many of us have friends, family and co-workers that are impacted by some type of cancer, but you never think it will be you. The word conjures up fear. Fear of treatment, fear of death and fear of what will be expected of you to deal with and hopefully survive. 

Sasha

When five-year-old Sasha had her birthday in June, there was more to celebrate this year — she had just gotten her port removed and was officially done with blood cancer treatment.

Sasha was just 2 years old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in October 2017.  She began intense treatment right away, which continued until right before her fifth birthday. Sasha spent countless days at the hospital fighting for her life and enduring the brutal side effects that came with treatment, but she never lost her charming personality and bright smile.

Beth

Shortly after Thanksgiving of 2008, I started feeling sick and extremely weak. By late January of 2009, I was diagnosed with stage IV aggressive Burkitt’s lymphoma.

Jack

Jack is a particularly big fan of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  His is an active Patient Advocate managing a local support group for patients and caregivers interested in his rare blood cancer, he participates in LLS' First Connection program, has helped with LLS' Team in Training and Light the Night recruiting efforts.  He received LLS' appreciation award "For Outstanding Commitment and Support of Advocacy and Patient Quality of Life" in June 2104.

Patty

On January 19, 2012, I lost the love of my life to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We were together for 21 years and this was not how our love story was supposed to end. Too young, too soon… still so much to do, to see, to experience – How do you go on? How do you continue life without the other half of you? How do you stop crying in the shower, before the water runs cold? How do you get dressed, put on a smile and face the world – alone? How do you believe again, when everything you believed in is gone?

Alayna

September 8, 2021: I didn’t know it at the time, but the mass I found in my neck the night before I started my senior year of high school would forever change my life.

Jaden

My name is Jaden, and I am an 18-year-old Political Science student at Penn State University. I have been deeply involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) since I was 10 years old, a journey that began with a profound personal experience.

Liz

In December 2010, my fiancé, Darla, was diagnosed with stage 4 small B-cell lymphoma (NHL). Her doctors developed a plan to start her on chemotherapy as soon as possible. She became very sick over the next couple of weeks. When she went to her first treatment three weeks after diagnosis, they could not administer the chemotherapy due to her being so ill. They put it off for a day and began Rituxan® treatment the next morning. She began having an allergic reaction to the drug. They stopped the treatment and tried to stabilize her, but later that evening, she passed away.

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.

Laura

I became aware of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) after I was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). A social worker at the hospital where I was being treated gave my information to the LLS Patient Services Manager, and she called me. Then she gave me the contact information for a patient who had young children like mine and was two weeks ahead of me in the process, and we spoke with each other.

James

I was diagnosed with stage 3 follicular lymphoma (FL), a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), at the end of 2017, and our world was turned upside down. I lived a pretty healthy lifestyle, stayed active, and ate well. I never thought I would be diagnosed with cancer until I received the phone call from my hematologist/oncologist late on a Friday night. My body went numb as I listened to the diagnosis and the aggressive treatment plan around the corner.

Trisha

In November 2019, Trisha and her husband were thrilled to have given birth to her second daughter. At this time, she went to visit her OBGYN for her 6-Week Postpartum Exam, and to her surprise, her doctor noticed she had an enlarged spleen and liver. She was immediately instructed to go to the emergency room, where she was admitted for one week. After a bone marrow biopsy, Trisha was diagnosed with plasma cell leukemia (PCL). Three days later, I went to another follow-up with my oncologist.

Sarah

I am the mother of Madelynn, aka Maddie, who was diagnosed with biphenotypic acute leukemia (BAL) on March 13, 2023, following months of illness initially thought to be a sinus infection. Despite multiple doctor visits and two trips to the emergency room, it wasn’t until Maddie’s condition worsened that she received the correct diagnosis, which involved both acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with the Philadelphia chromosome. Maddie immediately began an aggressive chemotherapy regimen and spent the first month of her treatment in the hospital.

Maria

My son, AJ, was diagnosed with leukemia on September 23, 2014, and from then on, our life changed. AJ had bumps, turns, and stops during his treatment, but we were lucky to have found The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) about a year into his 3¼-year treatment protocol. Our first event was a Light The Night (LTN) walk one year, one month, and one day from his diagnosis date. It was a special evening where AJ was able to see so many survivors and be surrounded by people who supported him.

Katie

I want to share my blood cancer journey. It all started back in October 2019 when I was at Gonzaga University. I started to experience the symptoms that I’m sure we’re all far too familiar with ― stomach pain, digestive problems, nausea, chest pain, and fatigue, all of which I was dealing with in addition to 20+ hours a week of tennis practice and a 15-credit class load.