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Joseph

Feb 10, 2012 has forever changed our lives. Joseph was 6 years old and in his fifth month of kindergarten. Joe's journey actually began many months prior. Shortly after starting kindergarten there were ear infections, fevers, belly pain, joint swelling and bone pain. All this from a child who was always very healthy. Feb 10, 2012, the definitive diagnosis of pre-b cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was echoing through my head. Joe was admitted to the hospital immediately and taken to the pediatric hematology/oncology floor.

Avery

I am writing as a parent of a cancer survivor. My daughter, Avery Smith, who is now 8 years old, was diagnosed at age 3½ with leukemia. In 2016, our then 3-year-old daughter Avery was complaining of muscle aches, backaches, and for a solid week was running a pretty high fever. We took her to the doctor, and after a few visits, they weren’t really sure what was going on. After some bloodwork, our pediatrician called us and said Avery had some very concerning numbers.

Maggie

I often said that cancer showed up at the worst time for me. I was finishing my first year of medical school and was in the midst of a very busy season finishing all the planning for my upcoming wedding. But honestly, is there ever a good time for cancer to show up? Would it have been better five years later as a busy, working doc? Or even later on with kids to take care of? Likely not. The truth is cancer is never a welcome visitor. It disrupts everything and turns life upside down.

John

In January 2020, I had returned to my home outside of Charleston, South Carolina, from a 28-day assignment to Anchorage, Alaska. Even though I had returned on December 15, I had picked up what we thought was a cold. The cold would not go away. My wife insisted that I get a chest x-ray for what we thought was pneumonia. Cancer was the last thing on my mind. I was working as an aircraft mechanic at Joint Base Charleston.

Towanna

I am Towanna, and I am a lymphoma survivor! I have been in remission for 17 years and counting.

Santino

I was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and underwent an autologous bone marrow transplant back in 2015. By the grace of God, I have been cancer-free for seven years. I was inspired to write some poems after my experience. One of them has actually been published. I hope my poems bring hope to the many cancer warriors out there fighting for their lives. If you are fighting cancer at this very moment, never quit. Remember, you have cancer, cancer does not have you. Every second your heart beats, you always have a chance. God has the final say.

Charles

I was alone with my doctor in the hospital when she told me I had no bone marrow matches in the world. I cried a lot that day. I was admitted two weeks prior, after relapsing from acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive blood cancer. As a husband, father and criminal prosecutor, I’ve dedicated my life to caring for my loved ones and protecting my community. Now, leukemia was threatening my life and there was no one that could protect me from it.

Allyson

In November 2016 I was tired. TIRED. I had a 20-month-old and a 4-year-old, had just come off the busiest month of the year for work, and I figured I was tired for no other reason. But then tired became not having the energy to take care of my 20-month-old. Tired became going to be my best friend's wedding and needing to lay down in between steps. Shower, lay down. Makeup, lay down. Hair, lay down. Get dressed, sit for a minute. Walking a long hallway seemed daunting. And then carrying my son from my car at a gas station to the restroom inside on a road trip was too much.

Stefan

Not that long ago, leukemia was an invariably fatal disease. These cancers presented with such ferocity and aggression that in many cases patient decline was rapid, usually within weeks of initial diagnosis. This all changed in the 1940s when Dr. Sidney Farber pioneered the use of antimetabolite chemicals as a means of killing leukemia cells, the birth of the chemotherapy revolution.

Siri

Siri is the most resilient, loving, inspiring, authentic, and brilliant woman I have ever met. She lives each day to the fullest and is filled with gratitude for all life and for every breath she takes. Her joy, light, and exuberance illuminate all around her. She is a two-time World Champion Triathlete, a top 10 global speaker, a best-selling author, a Tony Robbins keynote speaker at his worldwide events, saves horses from abuse, and so much more. Her life's mission is to help others. Here's a very condensed version of her story.

Side Effects

Both cancer therapy and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) can produce side effects. For most patients, side effects are temporary and subside once the body adjusts to therapy or when therapy is completed. For other patients, side effects can be more severe, sometimes requiring hospitalization. The side effects of chemotherapy may vary, depending on the drugs used and the overall health of the patient.

Before you undergo treatment, talk with your doctor about potential side effects. Medication and other therapies can prevent or manage many side effects.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack specific types of cancer cells with less harm to normal cells. Not all cancers have the same targets. Each type of targeted therapy works a little bit differently, but they all interfere with the growth and survival of cancer cells. To find the most effective treatment, your doctor may run tests to identify the genes, proteins and other factors in your cancer cells. This helps the doctor choose the most effective treatment for you based on the specific factors of your disease.

Fertility

People in the YA age group can be in many different stages of life. You may have children; you may want children in the future; you may not want children now, but may change your mind; or you may not have given it much thought at all. Cancer treatment can affect fertility in both women and men making it difficult to conceive a child in the future. A cancer diagnosis may require you to think seriously about children.

Not all cancer treatments affect fertility. Your risk depends on several factors, including

CLL Staging

Doctors use staging to help them predict chronic lymphocytic leukemia's (CLL's) progression and develop an appropriate treatment plan. Two staging systems, the Rai system and the Binet System, have been used throughout the world. In 2016, a new prognostic model called the CLL International Prognostic Index (CLL-IPI) was released, enabling a more targeted management of CLL.

Staging systems for CLL take into account:

Fertility and Pregnancy

Fertility, Pregnancy and TKIs

Patients of childbearing age, as well as the parents of children with cancer, should ask their healthcare team to explain how treatment may affect fertility (the ability to have children). Patients with CML who will be taking TKIs should discuss fertility preservation with their doctors before starting TKI therapy.

Growing numbers of CML patients of childbearing age are living in stable remissions and are considering having children while being treated for CML. There is no risk that parents will pass the Ph chromosome onto their children.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) usually involves a series of repeated tests, including blood and bone marrow tests. Your doctor usually can't confirm a diagnosis of CMML with one lab test result that shows abnormal blood counts. Instead, he or she will monitor you over a period of time with repeated lab tests that show abnormal blood counts. This is done to rule out other diagnoses.

Bone marrow testing involves two steps usually done at the same time in a doctor's office or a hospital:

Refractory and Relapsed

Almost all myeloma patients will experience relapse (the cancer returns after a successful course of treatment) and/or the disease will become refractory (the cancer does not respond to treatment). The choice of a treatment regimen at relapse is affected by many factors including previous therapy, rate of relapse, patient health, and genetic abnormalities.

Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation

An allogeneic stem cell transplantation is a treatment that uses stem cells from a healthy donor to restore a patient’s bone marrow that is damaged or diseased after receiving high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation remains the only potential cure for MDS.

Your Treatment Team

Oncologists and hematologists are specialists who treat persons with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloproliferative diseases. Pediatric hematologist oncologists treat children, adolescents and some young adults who have blood cancers. The oncologist or hematologist-oncologist coordinates a treatment and follow-up plan that involves other doctors as well as nurses, social workers, case managers and nutritionists.

Talking with Family, Friends and Children

Many people find it best to be honest with family and friends. By confiding in loved ones, you give them the chance to offer their support. It's true that some of your relatives or friends may not know what to say or do. But most do want to be supportive.

Consider "appointing" a willing family member or friend to be your "press secretary." He or she can be responsible for regularly letting others know your health status so you can focus on your treatment and recovery.

Possible Treatment Effects

Possible effects on sperm

Sperm is made and stored in the testes. Sperm production begins at the onset of puberty and continues throughout the person’s life, although the amount and quality of sperm can naturally decrease with age. Cancer treatment can cause:

Childhood Blood Cancer

Hearing that your child has cancer is terrifying. Today, however, most childhood blood cancer patients can expect to have full and productive lives. Thanks to new and improved therapies, survival rates for childhood blood cancer have improved significantly over the past several decades. In addition, doctors, nurses and researchers continue to search for the causes of childhood leukemia and lymphoma to develop even better treatments and tailor therapies to decrease toxic side effects.