Search Results
David
My dad, David, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on March 1, 1993, after looking at his blood under a microscope in college class. He started three years of intense chemotherapy on March 8, 1993, and finished it on January 26, 1996, while a third-year medical student. He was told that there was a 50% survival at five years and 30% survival at 10 years and that he would likely not be able to have children. During that time, he got married. Two years after finishing chemo, my oldest brother was born. I have three older brothers and an older sister.
Joe
My son Joe was 5 years old when he was diagnosed with T-cell leukemia just three days after the birth of his brother Cole – Joe was admitted to the ICU, and on Sunday, the next day, they did a spinal tap and a bone marrow biopsy. At midnight that night, he started his chemotherapy treatments.
In the first 30 days, his bone marrow had cleared to zero, and he was technically designated as a “low risk rapid responder.” All things being equal, he has done a phenomenal job through this.
He is in long-term maintenance and he finished his treatment on December 13, 2014.
Dean
In October 2015, after a trip to the ER with pain in my abdomen, I was diagnosed with stage 3, large B cell, multiple location, non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
My oncologist originally told me that the treatment plan would include 10 chemotherapy rounds, followed with radiation. I was out of work for eight weeks until my doctor decided I was in good enough health to return work.
Cancer affects everyone in your life that loves you — emotionally and financially. When you are sick, the bills do not stop coming, and in some cases, cancer can ruin people financially.
Myra
Over the course of Myra’s career in oncology nursing, she’s seen the hurdles that families face and heard from patients about the daily struggles to access the care they need to stay alive. Unfortunately, she is too familiar with patients who are forced to choose between life-saving treatment and going against a doctor’s recommended treatment plan simply because the cost is too high.
Jaden
When I was nominated to be a Student Visionary of the Year, I had no idea how it would impact my life. I was allowed to join a groundbreaking philanthropic leadership development program for high school students. Throughout my courageous seven-week journey, I had a goal of creating a world without blood cancers. It was bigger than winning; it was about making a real impact on the world around me. I learned business marketing skills, used effective communication tools, and met with fellow change-makers in my local area. By the end of the campaign, I felt like a new person.
James
In 2001, my wife and I had not been able to get pregnant after five years of marriage. We decided to look into adoption. As part of the application process, we were required to go for routine bloodwork. Soon after, I got a call at my desk at work that I needed to see an oncologist. I was informed I had chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), a rare form of leukemia.
Stem Cell Transplantation
Allogeneic stem cell transplantation has been used to treat and sometimes cure chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) patients. However, because of the high, sometimes life-threatening risks associated with stem cell transplantation, doctors rarely use it in elderly patients or patients in poor health.
Treatment Outcomes
All patients are advised to discuss survival information with their hematologist-oncologists. Keep in mind that outcome data can only show how other people with CMML responded to treatment, and cannot predict how any one person will respond.
Unfortunately, lasting remissions are not common. The expected survival time ranges from a few months to a few years after the initiation of treatment, depending on a variety of risk factors including the percentage of blasts in the blood and marrow, the white blood cell count, and the presence of certain gene mutations.
Signs and Symptoms
Children who have juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) may have the following signs and symptoms:
- Difficulty breathing and/or dry cough
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Abdominal pain and loss of appetite caused by enlarged kidney, liver and/or spleen
- Bone and joint pain
- Fatigue and pale skin (from low level of red blood cells)
- Easy bruising and bleeding (from low level of platelets)
- Frequent infections (from low level of white blood cells)
Some children also have skin changes which can include
Signs and Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of hairy cell leukemia aren't specific and are common to other, less serious illnesses. However, if you're troubled by any of the following symptoms, see your doctor:
Choosing a Blood Cancer Specialist or a Treatment Center
Taking an active role in making decisions regarding your treatment can have a positive effect on your health and quality of life. One of your first choices as an active participant in your care is to either select a specialist to manage your treatment or to choose a treatment center.
You may be seeking a blood cancer specialist or a treatment center because you:
Shelley
I went from being in the best shape of my life to battling cancer in only a few short months.
Three years ago, I made the choice to change my lifestyle, and I lost 100 lbs., which I can honestly say has saved my life. Prior to my cancer diagnosis, I was sharing my weight loss journey online to help others make positive choices. Little did I know that I was about to fight the biggest battle of my life!
Zeena
As an oblivious 14-year-old, I never imagined that I would soon go through the most difficult journey of my life. While on summer vacation with my family, we quickly realized I was not my energetic, joyous self. My favorite activities seemed like energy-draining tasks, and my large appetite had suddenly disappeared. The once quick trip up the stairs turned into a painful trek up a mountain and a walk down the street to a treacherous marathon with no end.
Seth
It was in my sophomore year at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs right around March 2021 when I first discovered the lump in my neck. I was simply doing homework at my desk, and my hand unconsciously brushed against my neck. I stopped and started to feel the unusual lump in my neck.
Soon after that, the tests started.
Eliot
It was my senior year of high school, and I was thriving: MVP of the soccer team that went to the state finals; strong academics with an offer to study Natural Sciences at Durham University, one of England’s finest; fantastic friends who were to become even more important to me. My biggest challenge was getting a date for the prom! Things that were within my control were going really well. However, things outside of my control then flexed their powerful muscles, and that high school life ended and a new one began.
Anthony
December of 2017 was a difficult time for me. It is the month that is usually filled with happiness, excitement and Christmas cheer. For me, it was the month I found out that I had Hodgkin lymphoma. It’s crazy when you think about it – we see all of these facts and figures about people who are diagnosed with cancer and we never, really, truly believe it could happen to us.
Reginé
I thought it was 'just another torn meniscus' back in the fall of 2019. The symptoms and signs all seemed too familiar and I just knew I'd have to get my meniscus repaired again, but this time in my left knee. After following through similar protocol in preparation to meet with the orthopedic doctor, upon my doctor's visit I was told my knee could not be further evaluated until deeper investigation by another physician: a musculoskeletal oncologist.
Edmund
U.S. veterans’ sacrifices can occur on the battlefield … or much later.
Houseboys sprayed Agent Orange on weeds around the Quonset huts of Edmund Montefusco and his fellow soldiers in Korea in the early 70s, but it was decades before Edmund’s rare, slow-growing hairy cell leukemia made itself known.
Kendra
When I was 10, I had just moved to a new city and was acclimating to my new life when I suddenly started experiencing headaches. They were dull and not especially painful, but they were constant and quickly became a daily experience. I loved my new school and my new friends, and I became so active in my community with sports and clubs that it was concerning to my parents when I began missing school and other events. Over the course of several months, I was in and out of urgent care where I was diagnosed with migraines and told that I should stop missing school.
Other Financial Assistance
LLS is part of the Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition (C-FAC), which helps cancer patients manage their financial challenges by:
- Helping members communicate and collaborate
- Educating patients and providers about resources and links to other organizations that provide information about C-FAC's resources
- Advocating for cancer patients regarding the financial burdens of cancer care
Printable Question Guides
To download or order copies of the Communicating With Your Healthcare Team series, click here.
Before you visit your doctor and other healthcare providers, it's a good idea to write down your questions or concerns. For a list of suggested questions to ask about certain topics, download and print any of the following guides:
Cancer Drug Therapy and Nutrition
Some drugs used to treat cancer can interact with food in ways that your treatment team will inform you about. When you begin a new treatment or start using a new drug, tell your doctor about any food allergies you have and ask:
Rommy Omarys
My younger sister was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2022. She is the youngest of four siblings. I am the oldest, and for me, she has always been my baby sister. We all go through different difficulties ― family, personal, economic life, etc. ― but when a disease affects your body to the degree of being between life and death, the perspective is different. With the greatest sadness in the world and the possibility of not seeing my sister again in this physical plane, I never lost hope. The light in the dark was always strong and bright.
Katie
I was diagnosed with Leukemia when I was 20 months old. I endured treatment for a little over 2 years until I was declared cancer free. Since I was diagnosed so young, I do not remember the treatment. However, I do remember the support from The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) as my family participated in the LLS’s Light The Night walk every year for the past 18 years!