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I was living in San Jose and had gone walking with a friend in a local park that followed the stream. It was December 15, 2006. Tom noticed that I had difficulty climbing up the five-foot stream embankment that the path went through. I myself didn’t recall this. Ten days later while visiting my wife’s children in Fairfax, the children and I went on a trail as we always did on Christmas morning. I found myself badly winded and returned to their home while they continued the hike. Then I noticed that I was not attracted to the Christmas feast.
Allison
During the start of the pandemic, my boyfriend began working out from home with all the gyms being closed. While working out, he discovered a lump under his arm. We both waved it off as nothing to worry about, but he still asked his doctor about it just in case. His doctor wanted him to get it biopsied. I dropped him off for surgery, still naive that anything would actually be wrong. He wasn't showing symptoms, he was active and healthy, plus he was young. “We” were young. We were in love, talking about getting engaged, and just moved in together. What could go wrong?
Haley
On September 13, 2023, I found out I was four weeks pregnant with our second child. On October 24, I found out it was a girl; Nellie would be her name. November came, and my symptoms started with what was discomfort/pain in my right arm, neck, and shoulder. Initially, I thought I slept wrong, and also pregnancy does weird things to the body. Then my arm became very swollen and completely discolored, dark red to purple and even blue. Being a pediatric nurse practitioner, I did some research and came across Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. I messaged my OB who agreed that it might be just that.
Kennedy
When I was 17, I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).
In January 2022, my dad sat me down and told me he had cancer, penile cancer, and he told me he would have to have multiple surgeries to get it removed. The next week my dad sat me down, yet again, and told me my grandfather, his dad, had cancer, prostate cancer. I felt completely overwhelmed at this time. Cancer had never been a thing I had to worry about or something I really knew much about.
Allison
Spring Break of my second year of medical school marked the beginning of an unexpected chapter in my life. What I had initially brushed off as the flu led me to the emergency room, only to discover that I had acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). At 24, the trajectory of my life drastically shifted, steering me away from my aspirations of orthopedic surgery towards a path I could have never foreseen.
Elissa
Ten years ago, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). She has since been deemed cured and has had no recurrence since her successful treatment. Some of her medicines were funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). We spent years racing for Team In Training (TNT) to fundraise for LLS.
Hailey
My mother and I being diagnosed with stage II Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) only six weeks apart from each other was not what I anticipated receiving for my 16th birthday. Braces, being my homeroom representative, volleyball tryouts, and getting my driver's license are the things I thought I would be navigating at this time. Instead, I spent my 16th year in pediatric oncology, receiving treatment at the same time my mom was receiving care in adult oncology.
Chemotherapy and Drug Therapy
Beginning Treatment for CLLTreatment of CLL is started when symptoms develop that are associated with active disease. Before starting treatment, it is important to have another FISH test to see if there are any changes to the genes and/or chromosomes of the CLL cells.
What to Tell Your Child
Regardless of age, children are usually aware when their health causes their parents concern. Your child may experience a variety of emotions, such as anger, guilt, fear, anxiety and sadness, all in quick succession. Sometimes parents wish to shield their child from information about the illness and its treatment. Keep in mind that your child will use his or her imagination to fill in perceived gaps of information. Talk with your child about the illness and its treatment. Listen carefully to what your child is saying (or not saying) and then answer his or her questions.
Phil
Phil is known for having the time of his life making music or dancing, so when he was diagnosed with Waldenström macroglobulinemia four years ago, after a routine physical revealed he had a high protein count, he knew that he had to not worry and keep dancing. It's worked so far, after one treatment with Rituxan, and aside from feeling fatigued he's been well for more than three years.
Kelvin
I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in February 2014. My journey with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) began one year later when I signed up to participate in my first-ever Light The Night Walk and put together a fundraising team.
The event was amazing and all my family and friends were there to show support. When the blood cancer survivors moved to the middle of the survivor circle to light up their lanterns, it was one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever experienced.
Sabrina
May of 2017, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma following my 19th birthday. The news of cancer shook my reality as I’d just began establishing my life. I was forced to give up my independence and lean on my community.
After six months of treatment I showed no evidence of disease. On a follow-up post treatment there was spots present of growth and I had a few more rounds of chemo added. Almost a year had gone without signs of cancer, but symptoms were appearing.
Charmane
I was diagnosed last November with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma. I had two tumors. One on my heart muscle and one near my lung. I went through treatments at UVM Medical Center in Burlington, Vermont and just finished chemotherapy this month.
Brian
Brian Shaw (a.k.a. “Little Man”) is an energetic, happy, intelligent and compassionate six-year-old boy. For nearly a year, starting when he was four, several of those characteristics seemed submerged beneath the side effects of daily chemotherapy that followed his diagnosis with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Though his treatments continue (3-1/2 years in total), the side effects have alleviated somewhat and Brian is getting back to his normal self, attending school, etc.
Austin
In May 2011, when Kimberly Schuetz was starting to plan her son Austin’s third birthday, he was diagnosed with a high-risk form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Austin was immediately placed on a chemotherapy regimen. However, when a routine blood test revealed that he relapsed in October 2012, their only option was a bone marrow transplant to save his life. After that transplant, his cancer came back for the third time in May 2013.
Madison
In October 2016, at the age of 21, I was diagnosed with primary mediastinal large B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma. After a few weeks of chest pains, finding a lump on my chest which led to many tests, I was admitted to Cincinnati Children's Hospital where I received treatment.
Christa
I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at three years old. I experienced two and a half years of chemotherapy, lumbar punctures, blood transfusions, hair loss, and surgery. Since then, I have not wasted a single day. I live each day to the fullest, remembering a time when my future was unsure. I want to make the most of my second chance by striving to achieve what may seem like a challenge. My goal is to become a psychologist and specialize in the behavioral and cognitive development of children. I want to continue to be a part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
Ethan
When I was just under two years old, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). My brother was born just a few days later, and it became an extremely difficult time for my family. Because I was so young, I do not remember most of my treatments that lasted until I was almost five years old. The closest place for treatment was Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, which was a three-hour drive away. Weekend trips to KC became normal, which meant lots of gas money and fast food.
Lauren
"I am a chronic leukemia-fighting mother of 4 boys and wife. In 2009, I was diagnosed with Essential thrombocythemia (ET). The diagnosis came after having multiple cerebellar strokes caused by a certebral artery dissection and a platelet count of 1.5 million, which is more than 3 times the normal limit. I immediately was told that I would start oral chemo called Hydrea which I would remain on indefinitely or until a cure was found.
Lab and Imaging Tests
Doctors use several different lab and imaging tests to help detect (diagnose) a blood cancer (leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes or myeloproliferative disease). You may need to undergo additional tests to confirm your diagnosis.
Once your diagnosis is confirmed, your doctor may need to test you for certain genetic, cellular or molecular characteristics that will help him or her treat your specific diagnosis.
Your doctor considers these test results along with information from your physical examination and detailed medical history to:
Kori
This may be the most vulnerable thing I’ve ever shared. I tend to not like to share too much of my personal life on social media. I am a businesswoman, so a few pictures of my kids, family, or vacations are usually the extent of what I put out there. But if what I’m about to say here about my story helps even one person listen to their gut or body, then I am proud to have helped. Please take a few minutes to read this.
Jonathan
Life is such a blessing. Sometimes we think that there’s no way out, we limit ourselves, or we simply think to give up. Truth is, like we say in my family, “Solo hay que estar vivo para ver cosa,” or “You only have to be alive to witness things.”
My parents are first-generation immigrants from the Dominican Republic. I am a cancer survivor.
Ariana
My daughter Ariana is a cancer survivor of stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). When she was 13, she was diagnosed. After all the hospital and doctor visits, they finally found the tumors inside her body.