In August 2019, I developed pneumonia for the third time in two years. I had been finding that my ability to fight off illness was not as good as it used to be. Once it got to the point that I was having problems breathing, I decided to go to urgent care.
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?
My daughter was a professional dancer out on tour when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She was 25 years old dancing in Detroit, Michigan, at the time, feeling short of breath and having night sweats. Being a dancer, you are in the best shape of your life, and you know when something is going on with your body.
I am a 3-time Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor. I underwent two stem cell transplants. The first transplant was my own stem cells, the second transplant was a donor transplant. My baby sister was my donor (she was a 6/6 match); I was very lucky. I underwent three years of radiation and chemotherapy and have been in remission now 12 years.
My Uncle Don Parker is my hero, and my favorite uncle as well, who just never gave up on himself and others. And when he got sick and passed away with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2001, I was inspired to do a Team In Training (TNT) marathon in Honolulu, Hawaii, that same year in December 2001.
Hi! My name is Keith. I’m currently 37 years old. I was diagnosed on November 6, 2015, with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). My wife, Tesia, was proudly serving in our finest Navy at the Pentagon when I received the news.
Our son Emmanuel “Manny,” though born with special needs (Down syndrome), was and is your typical little boy. However, up until the time he turned 18 months old, we had no idea just how “special” he was. See, on July 28th, 2011, Manny was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a blood cancer.
Roy was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM) in February 2006. Throughout his treatment at Cedars Sinai, by Dr. Robert Vescio, he has conquered two relapses and is currently in partial remission. Upon his first diagnosis, Roy and his family found out that he had a lesion one inch away from his spine.
Lori’s journey to becoming a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) volunteer began back in 2002 through her own experience with being diagnosed with Myelofibrosis (MF). Lori had just embarked on a new job as a real estate agent to a new home builder when she began to feel extremely tired and have pain in her hands.
In February 2018, my youngest twin (by three minutes), Jeremiah was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Our world and lives were turned upside down, to say the least.