Search Results
Vickie
I was diagnosed in 1974 at the age of 24 with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). I had never even heard of it. The doctors did not know if I would survive as it was very aggressive. I had exploratory surgery (CAT scans and MRIs did not exist then as far as I know) and five weeks of radiation (I still glow in the dark, saves on night lights!!). Other than a couple of "unusual lymph nodes" over the years, I have been cancer-free. I went on to have two more great careers and was happily married for the first time at 49.
Wendy
I am a 3-time Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor. I underwent two stem cell transplants. The first transplant was my own stem cells, the second transplant was a donor transplant. My baby sister was my donor (she was a 6/6 match); I was very lucky. I underwent three years of radiation and chemotherapy and have been in remission now 12 years. Since then, I have gotten involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). I first started by creating a fashion show to raise money for LLS.
Tony
It was 40 years ago that Tony was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at age 2. Back then, the disease wasn't very well understood, and the technologies and treatments didn't have a great deal to offer. It was a rough road, but Tony managed to make it through with the help of his mother and many experimental drugs. He went through chemotherapy, radiation, spinal taps, and hair loss, and at age 12, his doctors couldn't find any trace of leukemia.
Miranda
A little over a year ago, I finished a treatment that saved my life and gave me purpose. In October 2016, I was diagnosed with stage IV of Hodgkin lymphoma and was fortunate enough to receive medical care that allowed me to conquer my cancer journey.
Georgia
Today I would like to give thanks to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. With the fantastic staff, and volunteers we have truly come so far. As an ALL survivor, Team In Training Alumni, and participant it is so amazing to see what we have all done for blood cancer patients and their families.
Robert
I am a three-time survivor of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). First, I received full mantle radiation therapy in 1986, followed by chemotherapy in 1994, and finally a bone marrow transplant in 2004. I am now 17 years cancer-free. I owe my life to my oncologists, Winship Cancer Center in Atlanta, Georgia, and my wife. I was a First Connection® Program volunteer with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) for 10 years, but I dropped out because medical technology was developing so fast.
Leanne
In November 2023, on my 40th birthday, I had a biopsy on my neck for a swollen lymph node. We originally thought it was thyroid issues, but several scans and biopsies later led me to Sylvester Cancer Center at the University of Miami. A week later, I was diagnosed with diffused large B-cell lymphoma CD30+ (DLBCL), which I like to say is Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in one big bang, an aggressive rare form of cancer that required a specialized treatment with revolutionary drugs.
Laura
My mom raised seven kids before finding out she had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and lymphoma, as well as Parkinson’s. She was going through treatment for the blood cancers, getting infusions of Rituxan® for the lymphoma, and transfusions of usually two units of blood when her red blood cell count was too low. We (us kids who live local) would sit with her (whoever was available) for the six+ hours it took for whichever treatment she was getting at the time. We played cards, fed her chocolate ice cream, laughed, and visited.
Sarah
On October 19, 2023, I went to urgent care for a cough that wouldn't go away. Turns out, it was a little more than a cough. A large mass in my chest was causing pneumonia. Two weeks later, I finally had a name for the mass ― primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). One thing that was very important to me early on in my cancer journey was fertility preservation. I knew that the chemotherapy I would get would put me at risk for infertility, so I advocated for myself and got an early referral to the reproductive and endocrinology (REI) clinic near me.
Angela
I am a two-time Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) cancer survivor. I was first diagnosed with stage 2 HL in 2006. I underwent chemo and radiation. The doctors at my check-ups were no longer looking for cancer but looking for the effects the treatment had on me. Well, eight years later it came back aggressively as stage 4 HL in my lung. I went to Dr. Armitage at Nebraska Medicine and underwent a stem cell transplant using brentuximab vedotin, a target therapy drug that was successful. He is a worldwide expert on lymphoma, so I knew I was in good hands.
Samantha
In February 2023, I was on top of the world. I turned 27 years old, I was training for a new position at my dream company, I spent an amazing weekend in Nashville with girlfriends, and had just touched down from Mexico after spending a fantastic weekend with one of my best friends. Everything felt right ― for the most part. While this month was filled with love, laughter, and good times, it was also filled with night sweats, stomach pains, and overall feelings of illness.
Pam
Pam Katten died on September 24, 2002 after a year-long battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Daniel (Lil Sicky)
Cancel blood cancer with web3! Daniel is a 27-year-old lymphoma patient who combined his medical diagnosis and love of digital art into an NFT project supporting The Leukemia & Lymphoma (LLS) patients and their families.
In November 2021, Daniel was diagnosed with stage three nodular sclerosing Hodgkin lymphoma (NSHL). Like so many others during the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been isolated to protect his health and has been unable to work.
Sarah
My husband Patrick had a chest cold for about two months. I finally convinced him to go to the urgent care and they did an X-ray. Soon they found that he had an abnormally shaped aorta, so they sent him to our primary for testing.
They tested him and on July 5, 2017 and found that he had a mass in his chest that had caused his heart to move. It turns out the mass was Hodgkin lymphoma.
Rhonda
In 2012, I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. I had 10 rounds of radiation and six treatments of chemotherapy (R-Chop). It was a very rough journey, however, by the grace of God, the love of family, and of course, the wonderful doctors and advances in cancer treatments I persevered through.
Marie and Miguel
Miguel was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in early 2017. He was an active, healthy man his entire life, so this diagnosis came as a total shock. Both he and his wife didn't know what to expect or what the outcome would be and were both beyond devastated. After surgery, chemotherapy, numerous procedures, and hospital stays, Miguel and his wife were thrilled to hear the doctors say he had no evidence of disease as of late 2017.
Peter
I do not aspire to be a hero, I just want other patients to realize that any one of us can have a long life after receiving such a horrible diagnosis. Times may be difficult but anything is possible.
On September 5, 2015, I celebrated the 25th anniversary of my autologous bone marrow transplant for non-Hodgkin lymphoma that took place at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. I want to thank my wife, children, and the many doctors, nurses, and technicians who treated me and continue to look after me in my senior citizen years.
Nikolette
I was truly honored to be a recipient of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors. After fighting two different types of cancer, both forms of lymphoma and leukemia, I was unsure what my collegiate education would look like. I had to medically withdraw from my freshman year of college at Penn State University in the fall of 2018 when I received my second diagnosis. My family and I were completely devastated, but I was able to successfully undergo a bone marrow transplant and have been showing no evidence of disease (NED) for 3½ years now!
Madeleine
We were lucky. It seems strange to frame it that way, but it's true.
Treatment for Indolent NHL Subtypes
Indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes progress slowly. They make up about 40 percent of all NHL cases in the United States. Indolent subtypes include:
Lauren
My name is Lauren, I'm 20 years old and I am a lymphoma survivor. The summer after graduating high school, I began to develop symptoms consisting of a dry cough, a lump under my arm and shortness of breath.
Melissa
I want to tell you about my hero, my wife, Melissa. She is service-focused from the time she gets out of bed until the time she returns. She's been a part of Team In Training for the past three years and has raised well into five figures to help others. That's what made her Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosis all the more ironic.
Grace
On February 6, 2023, I was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). However, my story starts months before that. I was attending my sophomore year of college at my university when I started experiencing symptoms I did not understand or put together. I started experiencing extreme exhaustion, I was dropping weight very fast, and I was always lightheaded. I decided to come home only three weeks into my spring semester because I couldn’t keep up my course load with how bad I was feeling.
Shelley
Shelley was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma in September of 2010 after finding a lump behind her ear. Testing showed she was in stage 3 and had a tumor in her large intestine. Her doctors went before the tumor board, where several other medical experts reviewed her options, to determine whether she should have surgery or chemotherapy. Approximately two weeks later she ended up having emergency open colon surgery and surgeons found another tumor blocking her small intestine.