Search Results

Lauren

To be healed by the miracles of modern medicine and prayer was the most profound experience of my life. It is difficult to articulate the gratitude my family and I feel in our hearts for the people who made it so. There is no scenario where I would be here today, writing this account, without the research made possible by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Andres

I want to start off by saying that my husband is amazing. My father passed away suddenly in September 2023, and my husband was my rock. He does/did everything he could to help me through my grief and still does. My husband had been complaining that he felt like something was stuck in his throat, but he would clear his throat, and it would go away. The week before Thanksgiving 2023, my husband was watching a funny video on YouTube and laughed so hard he couldn't catch his breath. He leaned forward trying to catch his breath but cut off his airway and collapsed face forward onto the floor.

Donna

I was first diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in my 20’s. I had a three-year-old daughter and a husband. I went through six months of chemo and continued working full-time as a nurse in homecare the whole time. I was told that if I was to have a reoccurrence, it would come back as leukemia within 10 years. I harvested my bone marrow after chemo and saved it for the 10-year time frame. I thought I would never get cancer again. However, in 2018, I started not feeling well and was diagnosed in July with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Anna

I was a recipient of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors this year. I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on December 23, 2014. I received over 80 doses of chemotherapy, 40 blood product transfusions, and had six infections. One of these infections landed me in the pediatric intensive care unit for seven days with acute respiratory failure and sepsis. I spent 133 days in-patient at the hospital. In May 2015, I left the hospital for good and am celebrating seven years in remission.

Lily

Hello, my name is Lily and I am 14 years old. In November of 2022, I was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). At the beginning, I was completely shocked because there was no sign that anything was wrong with my health. It was the hardest news I’ve ever heard in my life. The only thing that I was worried about was if I was going to die or if I was going to lose my hair I am now 2 cycles into my chemotherapy. I have lost my hair and I love my bald look! I finished my last chemo session on April 6th 2023.  

Alana

My name is Alana, and I’m 17 years old. Here is my story. On June 29, 2021, I was out having dinner with my family, and my smartwatch told me that my heart rate was really high. So, after we got done with dinner, we went to the ER. There they told me that they had found a mass in my chest and that I needed to be transferred to the children's hospital in Austin, Texas. They did some bloodwork, and then they noticed the swollen lymph node in my neck. That’s when they did the biopsy, and it was confirmed the next day that I had classic Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).

Callie

In January 2016, I was diagnosed with stage II Hodgkin lymphoma. I was four months pregnant at the time, and it was decided to carry to term because this type of blood cancer is a slower spreading cancer.

In May 2016, I had a healthy boy and 10 days later began my first of many chemo treatments. The following October I had my last treatment and I was excited to get back to "normal" life.

Camdon

My name is Camdon Cherry. I was 14 hours away from graduating with a BS in microbiology from Oklahoma State University when I was diagnosed with acute lymphblastic leukemia (ALL).

I presented to the hospital with staphylococcus infections in my blood and developed COVID-19 while in the hospital so my treatment was delayed for weeks. I am still very early in my treatments as I was only diagnosed on Dec. 1, 2020 and I am currently in induction phase 2 of chemotherapy.

Team In Training Participant

I joined Team In Training (TNT) in 2012, when I decided I wanted to train and run my first half marathon. Some of my friends had told me about their success with the program, and while I didn't have a personal connection to The Leukemia & Lymphoma  (LLS), it was obviously a worthy cause and I felt I could handle the fundraising aspect.

I loved the experience; the training cycle, the coaches, the teammates, and even the fundraising. And they got me across that first finish line.

Jashon

I’m a musician from Missouri, now Tennessee named Jashon Hockaday (Jae Alxndr). I’ve been making music in the fore and background for a while now. My life changed when I was diagnosed with primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) of the mandible.

As a new musician, my heart was broken as I couldn’t create the same. As time has progressed, I’ve turned more into an advocate looking to share awareness and help people like myself who didn’t have the infrastructure to give back.

Keyla

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) three years ago at age 25. I started feeling pain in my neck when I drank alcohol, and then I started noticing my neck lymph nodes getting pretty big. After multiple blood tests, CT scans, and a biopsy of the neck, I was diagnosed with HL. I had to undergo 12 rounds of chemotherapy in total. I was so scared of all of the symptoms ― nausea and my hair falling out (but thankfully, my hair didn’t fully fall out, so I didn’t have to shave it, which was the least of my problems).

Jennifer

Jennifer has had a long journey with blood cancer but things are finally looking up. It started with a lump on her neck in 2009 that was diagnosed as Hodgkin lymphoma stage 2. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation seemed to work. Then in 2011 a routine PET scan showed a spot on her chest. It was back. A stem cell transplant (using her own cells) got her through that time. But two years later, in 2013, another routine pet scan revealed another spot on her chest near her heart, and it was back for more surgery.

ALL Subtypes

Doctors classify acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) into subtypes by using various tests. It's important to get an accurate diagnosis since your subtype plays a large part in deciding the type of treatment you'll receive. Depending on your ALL subtype, the doctor will determine

Finances and Insurance Coverage

Healthcare costs are a key concern for most people with blood cancer. Many patients don't have health insurance, and for others, coverage is limited. If you have health insurance, it's essential that you know what your plan covers and how to maintain your benefits. 

You and your family will need to decide how to pay for treatment while managing household finances. You probably also need to consider additional indirect costs, such as lost time from work, childcare and travel expenses.

End-of-Life Care

Awareness and discussion of end-of-life issues is an important aspect of care for any serious illness and helps improve quality of life. Talk to your child’s healthcare team about treatment goals and any concerns you have related to prognosis, treatment outcomes and end-of-life care.

Clinical Trials

Taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice for some MDS patients. Clinical trials are under way for all MDS-risk types. Today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. LLS continues to invest funds in MDS research.

Click here to read more about clinical trials.  

Amina

I’m 22 years old, and I have stage 3B Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).

Amrita

November 2007 was the start of my journey as a cancer warrior and survivor. I was diagnosed with Diffused Large B cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) and it is incredible for me to reflect on the fact that I am coming up on my 15th year anniversary of diagnosis and treatment. I do hear and read powerful stories of other survivors and in so many ways I think my journey with and after cancer diagnosis resonates with those.

Don

In January of 2016, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). He was unresponsive to treatment. He went into remission, but it quickly came back. The clinic said they couldn’t do anything more, so he was referred to the University of Minnesota for a clinical trial. The treatment included me, as his daughter, donating my T-cells. The clinical trial was helpful but didn’t get the results he needed, and cancer came back.

Shushan

Jessica

Last spring, I was a normal college junior. I had just returned from spring break in the Caribbean with my best friends, and my biggest problem was party planning my 21st birthday that was coming up.

I had a bump on my neck for a few months at that point. I visited several doctors who all assured me it was just a normal swollen lymph node and nothing to be concerned about. My family decided to fly me home for a weekend to get checked out by my pediatrician who we trust. My pediatrician took the lead for further testing.

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.

Mary

I was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) on April 3, 2023.

I had just gotten married in June 2022, and my husband and I were ready to start a family and our life together. I turned 40 years old in July 2022, so I scheduled my first mammogram. My OBGYN wrote a prescription for a sonogram as well considering I have dense breasts. I would have never realized that I needed both if I had not been advised. My cancer would not have been detected with just a mammogram.

Jennifer

I remember diagnosis clearly. I was sitting in the UCSF doctor’s office of a man I had not met before a physician I was referred to. I had first gone to a doctor on my Blue Cross Insurance list, a Russian woman who said the word “lymphoma.” I was hoping the foreign word would continue to be foreign. She gave me a referral to UCSF on Fillmore Street in San Francisco close to where I was living at the time.

Mark

At the age of 18, my dad, Mark Brightbill, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma and underwent chemo and radiation.  The Tuesday after my now husband and I got engaged, he was diagnosed with nodular LP Hodgkin lymphoma (after 30 years in remission).