Search Results
Nikolas
Hello, my name is Nikolas Davison. I am 14 years old (almost 15 in July) and have battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for the past four years, but I am now done with chemo and getting my port removed soon.
In November 2016, I was misdiagnosed with appendicitis and was taken to the hospital by my father, where they took my blood and ran several tests. This was a painful experience to go through and I was very scared. After more tests, they knew that I had cancer. I was shocked, scared and horrified. I never thought in a million years that I would get cancer.
Blake
Blake was recently diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and is now in interim maintenance.
It all started with unexpected wrist and leg pain that turned into three years worth of treatments and procedures. We were told he was anemic so we took him in for iron supplements. He then got very constipated and had terrible side and tummy pains, which led us back into the ER. They gave us laxatives and sent us home.
Jim & Leslie
Jim and Leslie Donigan have been married for almost 50 years. Currently retired with three adult children, they have both faced a cancer diagnosis, but are in remission today.
In October of 2003, Leslie was diagnosed with a stomach cancer called GIST (Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors) and was told it was terminal. But then her doctor tried a medication intended for blood cancer—and it worked.
Joy
On December 29, 2011, I heard those numbing words “you have cancer.” I was 23 years old, about to turn 24 and my whole world came to a screeching halt. After months of feeling “off,” multiple visits to all kinds of doctors, repeat blood work, scans and biopsies, it was finally determined that I had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Matt
Meet Matt. Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivor. Goalkeeper of major league soccer's Columbus Crew. After donating blood when he was 17 years old, Matt learned he had Stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. While all of his friends were going off to college, Matt was going to chemotherapy. But thankfully, by September, 2007 Matt was cancer free. Today, Matt is doing all he can to help others with blood cancer.
Anna
I was a recipient of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors this year. I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on December 23, 2014. I received over 80 doses of chemotherapy, 40 blood product transfusions, and had six infections. One of these infections landed me in the pediatric intensive care unit for seven days with acute respiratory failure and sepsis. I spent 133 days in-patient at the hospital. In May 2015, I left the hospital for good and am celebrating seven years in remission.
Charlene
Cancer. That is a word that is scary. So many of us have friends, family and co-workers that are impacted by some type of cancer, but you never think it will be you. The word conjures up fear. Fear of treatment, fear of death and fear of what will be expected of you to deal with and hopefully survive.
Suzanne
In January 2021, I received my diagnosis after five months of multiple doctor visits, blood work, and biopsies. I had no common symptoms such as night sweats or fatigue, just a small lump behind my ear. It was removed, and the pathology came back as non-cancerous. About six or so weeks later, another lump showed up. I decided to switch doctors, and they also didn't feel it was cancer based on my chart. But after they removed it, the pathology shared a much different story.
Gisenia
In October 2015, Gisenia Reyes heard the words "You have cancer." Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive type of blood cancer. She immediately underwent chemotherapy treatment to save her life.
Gisenia attained remission status, however, she still had a mutation in her blood work, which could cause her to relapse.
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!
Jack
Jack is a particularly big fan of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. His is an active Patient Advocate managing a local support group for patients and caregivers interested in his rare blood cancer, he participates in LLS' First Connection program, has helped with LLS' Team in Training and Light the Night recruiting efforts. He received LLS' appreciation award "For Outstanding Commitment and Support of Advocacy and Patient Quality of Life" in June 2104.
Joyce
We have been involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) since Steve's diagnosis with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in May of 2002. Steve's CML continues to be successfully treated with a drug called Gleevec, which was funded in part by LLS. This year we celebrated his 15 years of remission from CML by taking a trip to Florida with family. Thank God for survivorship AND cancer research!
Amanda
As a popular entertainment anchor on the “Good Day LA” morning show in Los Angeles, Amanda Salas has always kept busy. But after she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in June 2019, she has had to refocus all her energy and time on fighting for her life.
Christine
Christine Attia knows first-hand how overwhelming and terrifying a blood cancer diagnosis can be. She lost her 27-year-old fiancé three years ago after a courageous six-month battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a blood cancer which has seen few improvements in treatments in more than 40 years.
Laura
It’s hard to even know where to begin. I was 63 years old, a happily working professional in health policy and advocacy. I know the power of an organization like The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS); a daughter, wife, mom, grandma, and dog mom.
I was traveling with my husband, and I had a side pain. I thought might be a gallstone.
Barry
I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May of 2003. The diagnosis came after three or four months of tests attempting to diagnose a lump from my neck (which was ultimately removed). My wife and I were told that I had a disease that was considered treatable but not curable. My particular sub-type, follicular, has a tendency to reoccur. I was referred to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The staging test results showed I had a very small amount of the disease on the whole, but it was present in my bone marrow, which is considered Stage IV, or
Sally
In January 2021, my new life journey was about to begin. After doctor visits, bloodwork, testing, and finally complete shock, the diagnosis of cancer was given to me and my family, large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We were in disbelief but ready to fight. As my oncologist stated, “You have an aggressive form of cancer, we will treat you aggressively, and it is potentially curable.” Those last two words were what I needed to hear. Let the fight begin.
Erika
I am a 36-year-old cancer survivor. In February 2014, I found a suspect lump and had become unusually tired. I was a career-driven single mother of a very active 10-year-old boy, so when I say unusually tired it was time to call the doctor. Within days I was thrown into the crazy and often times confusing world of hospital appointments and insurance company battles for various procedures and surgical biopsies. We became pros at the waiting game.
Jonathan
I had been feeling very tired and dealing with massive headaches for about a month. Friends and family started to notice my pale skin and that all I wanted to do was sleep, and I felt cold all the time. That’s not like me, and everybody knows that I don’t usually carry sweaters when it’s cold because I love the cold weather. But during this time, I felt very, very cold.
Zac
In 2019, at 32, several symptoms culminated and, in hindsight, were red flags to the disease progression of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I was less than 90 days into a new job in residential construction. I did not pay attention to what my body was telling me (extreme fatigue, excessively bleeding gums after a dental exam, bruising, and petechiae on my chest and upper extremities). After a busy weeknight trip to the grocery store, my body made me stop to pay attention with a 103.2° fever. With that, I drove myself to the local emergency room.
Gary
In 1999 I had a lump on my neck, and after strong urging from my wife and my mother, I finally went to my family doctor. My white blood cell counts were really high, and antibiotics didn't help. Eventually, a biopsy indicated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
King
King has a rare combination of a blood cancer called leukemia (high risk) and G6PD which is an incurable, lifelong blood disorder. His treatment plan is 3 1/2 years of daily chemotherapy. He is up to 75 pills per month, and this does not include intravenous or spinal chemo.
Unfortunately, as he gets older, the amount of chemo and medication he has to take will increase. He is three years into treatment, and has experienced several severe complications throughout this time.
Christal
My brother was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in September 1996 and passed away in April 1997, his senior year of high school and less than a month after turning 18. As a young person watching my brother suffer through his cancer diagnosis and subsequent death, it took away pieces of me that I will never get back. Not only me but my parents, his friends, our church, and strangers alike. Throughout the years, I have felt exhausted in grief as I denied my feelings, only to be hit by it in full force in unexpected moments.
Don
Like so many individuals diagnosed with blood cancer, I had zero thought that I might be ill, much less with a disease that could take my life.
I had signs and symptoms that something wasn’t quite right in my body, annoying things like shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and fatigue. However, nothing registered in my head until after my diagnosis.
It’s September 2005, and I am pretty much invincible, bulletproof! I could, in fact, leap tall buildings in a single bound! Yes, in my mind I was Superman!