Search Results

Katherine

Hello! My name is Katherine and I was diagnosed in January 2020 with stage IV classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. My diagnosis came after months of fatigue and diffuse body pain. Initially I was evaluated for lupus or RA, but those diagnoses didn't quite fit. After discussing with my PCP again and noting a persistent cough, a CT and PET-CT showed diffuse lymphadenopathy and lesions on my liver and spleen.

Alexis

CANCER, that one word that sits like a lump in the back of your throat making you unable to swallow...

I was in sixth grade when my hero, my dad, was diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia.

Over the years, my dad has gone through his fair share of chemotherapy.  Usually after treatment, his cancer became dormant, and then resurfaced a few years later.  The dreadful "process" would repeat itself, getting a little harder each time as his body became resistant to the therapy.

Joe

After being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in March of 2011 when I was only 10 years old, my entire life changed and was put on hold. I went through months of treatments to slow down the cancer, looked for the best possible hospitals in my area, and was able to get a bone marrow transplant in August 2011 from my brother who was a matched donor. I wasn't even close to stopping there. Once I was feeling better, I could do home instruction school from my house so I wouldn't fall behind, and some of my friends were allowed to visit me at home.

Marisa

Throughout my father’s journey, I was impressed by his care team, the advanced medicine used to treat blood cancer today, the individuals I met, people’s generosity, and the organizations I was introduced to. This journey opened my eyes to various organizations such as Be the Match and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). 

Bishoy

Born in Egypt, at the age of three, me and my family immigrated to the U.S. when I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). I grew up in Long Island, New York, where I received treatment for 10 years. On my 13th birthday, I underwent brain surgery and remains cancer-free.

Alice

I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). As soon as you learn that you have a form of cancer in your body, read a lot about it. Learn as much as you can about your cancer and how to talk to your doctor. It's up to you; it’s a mind situation. Don’t say, “Woe is me.” Say, “What should I do to take care of myself and enjoy life?” You are in charge, no one else can do it for you.

Jim

My brother Jim was an amazing man. He was a person for whom family was everything. He ran a plumbing business with his brothers and took pride in its success, but he was so much more than his work. We called him “The Renaissance Plumber” because he was so knowledgeable on so many topics ― history, literature, music, politics, sports. He was also a wonderful cook and a genial host. He lived life to the fullest. His leukemia diagnosis was a terrible blow, coming within months of the tragic death of our younger brother.

John

I first got involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) shortly after the passing of my boyfriend, John, in 2020. John "Poochy" fought a very long and hard battle against leukemia that came to an end in August 2020.  I was absolutely devastated and lost in a world without my love.

About two weeks later, a friend posted something about an event called Light The Night (LTN) for LLS, so I checked it out and immediately signed up a team of John and my friends for my local LTN event. We raised over $1,000 in less than 24 hours!

Dylan and Conner

When Dylan was a senior in high school, at the age of 17, he was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). He was getting ready for his last semester of high school and ready to pursue his dreams of playing college volleyball when life confronted him with a massive health battle. He spent the next six months putting up a constant fight and underwent 12 chemotherapy treatments. Although every day was a battle, Dylan ultimately came out on top and was declared cancer-free in the summer of 2021. He is now set to graduate from Miami University next fall and plans to become an educator.

Justin

My husband, Justin, was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in June 2021. At the time, he was a healthy, energetic, 33-year-old dad of three. He just completed all treatment in January 2024. We received some funds from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as well as information and inspiration. Throughout treatment, my husband fought so hard and had very difficult moments. He went into septic shock from a blood infection, had an ICU stay, and had to get both his hips replaced because of an infection that led to bone on bone. He couldn’t walk for months.

Connor

In 2020, I was asked to join The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Student Visionaries of the Year (SVOY) by my friend, Camryn, who is now leukemia-free. Unsure of what LLS was or what I was getting myself into, I hesitated but agreed. Two years later, after my second grand finale event for SVOY Toledo, I was in love. I enjoyed the creativity of coming up with events, I loved the competition, and I loved the people and stories I heard along the way. After graduating high school, I knew that I couldn't stop.

Preston

Preston was a regular 12-year-old kid who loved being active and was obsessed with playing basketball. He got sick in August and was still having a hard time recovering in late September. We realized he needed a thorough check-up and decided to bypass the doctor’s office and go directly to the ER. He had been extremely lethargic and was losing weight. His lips were pale, and his body was cold to the touch.

Carol

I have been told that my story is rare, so I would like to see if there is anyone who has had the same experience. I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) in February 2023. I started chemo treatment in March 2023 and continued through May 2024. In February 2024, I noticed some changes happening to my body. I was losing weight, losing hair, had extremely dry skin, and had less and less energy. When I went for my PET scan in May 2024 to see if I had lesions in my spine from the MM, I was told they were completely gone, and I was most likely in remission.

Caregiving During Treatment

During and after cancer treatment, your loved one may find life at home becomes increasingly challenging. If  your loved one is experiencing mobility issues, peripheral neuropathy, pain or weakness after treatment, the following changes to the home may make life easier and safer for your loved one:

Amy

It was July 2014, I got up and went for a quick morning jog before work. It’s Iowa, it was hot and humid, but I was unusually winded after that jog. I figured it was due to being humid outside and finished getting ready to go to work (I was a registered nurse at a physician’s clinic doing triage). During the day, I continued to feel a little winded and noticed I had a cramp in my calf. The nurse in me said to ignore it, that I was overreacting, but I decided to call my physician. She directed me to my local ER for fear of a blood clot.

Board of Trustees - New Jersey

Laraine

November 21st is Family Volunteer Day.  The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) encourages you to volunteer as a family today. Whatever you choose to do, do it together. Some ideas include: take a few minutes to call a friend, neighbor or colleague; cook a meal together and drop it at the doorstep of someone in need; rake a neighbor’s yard or put a book in a neighborhood lending library.

To honor this day, we are sharing the story about a family faced with a cancer diagnosis, who banded together when the future seemed so unclear.

Julian

I was a 10-year-old kid when I was diagnosed with leukemia. I was a happy, energetic kid who loved being outside and was a straight-A student. However, my whole childhood was put on hold indefinitely once I had cancer. Rather than having sleepovers at my friend’s houses, I was sleeping over at the hospital. It was hard to lose my energy, smile, confidence, and hair as treatment took over my life. It was really hard to understand as I was just a kid getting injections, procedures, chemotherapy, and surgery without truly understanding why.

Thomas

My name is Thomas, and I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) two weeks after my 30th birthday. Nobody wants to hear the words, "You have cancer," and even though my wife had some suspicions due to my recent weight loss and lower energy levels, it still came as a shock to both of us. The news hit hard, especially since all other aspects of my life were going extremely well. My wife and I had just moved to a new state earlier in the year, I received a promotion at work, we had just returned from a business trip out of state, and overall, things seemed to be going our way.

Will

I am a cancer mom. I WAS a cancer mom. My youngest son, Will, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) at age 19 in April of 2019. He, his dad, and I were beyond shocked when we heard the news that the swollen lymph nodes that came up out of the blue one March morning were indeed HL. We didn't really know anybody personally that had it. We didn't know what exactly all the words meant at that moment in time, but we knew it wasn't what we had planned for our youngest son.

Rylie

My name is Rylie York, I am 20 years old and I'm currently a sophomore at Baylor University. I'm originally from Round Rock, Texas and I am a patient at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas. I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 18 in the middle of my senior year of high school. I have relapsed twice since then and completed my bone marrow transplant this past August and September.

Jimmy

My journey with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) began in the summer of 2020. My 17-year-old, two-sport athlete son Jimmy came to me complaining that he had pulled a muscle in his neck lifting weights for football and baseball. However, after many doctors’ appointments and tests, on June 12, 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, I received a call that his biopsy was indeed cancer, stage 3 advanced Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). I now had to tell my 17-year-old son that his worst fear was now a reality.

Elisa

I was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in April 2022 at 27 years old. After months of debilitating symptoms and a week-long hospital stay, I finally had an answer as to what was going on with my body. I was relieved to have an answer, but "cancer" was the last thing I expected. Ironically, after my diagnosis and first chemotherapy infusion, I felt better than I had in months. I didn't feel like I had cancer; the only reminders were a few enlarged lymph nodes and the mediport protruding from the right side of my chest. 

Chemotherapy and Drug Therapy

Treatment 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.