Search Results
Grace
I’m 15 years old, and I’m a ballerina, Junior Zoo Keeper at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, actress, singer, and I am a childhood leukemia survivor.
When I was five years old, my parents noticed that I was getting a lot more bruises and nose bleeds than usual (even living in New Mexico at the time). My abdomen was really swollen and I was taking frequent naps, which was also alarming to my parents. They took me to an urgent care location near my house where the doctors said that I was fine.
Nicolasa
The first time I heard of Team In Training (TNT) and raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) was when my friend and I wanted to run the Nike Women's Half in D.C. We filled out the application and got accepted and started raising money, not having a clue about where this path was going to lead us. It was at that time that I began to realize the impact leukemia and lymphoma have had on my family and friends, whether they or a loved one had gone through treatment. I wrote all of their names on my singlet and carried them with me along that course.
Tim
I knew multiple myeloma (MM) was a blood cancer. After all, my mom was diagnosed with myeloma at 62 years old in 2005. It’s extremely rare that I should also be diagnosed in 2021, but it happened. There’s no strong data that shows that it’s hereditary at this point. But more doctors are seeing family members being diagnosed. It's also becoming one of the most diagnosed cancers among African Americans.
Supportive Care and Disease Complications
Supportive (palliative) care for myeloma helps manage the complications of the disease and the adverse side effects of the drugs used for treatment, including:
Paul & Lynn
In 2017, after 44 years of working in the railroad industry, Paul Sauter was just starting to enjoy his retirement, when his health started to decline out of nowhere. Typically, he was in extremely good shape and enjoyed long hikes with his wife, Lynn. One day, while on a mountain climb trip in Arizona, Lynn was concerned when she noticed Paul was not his usual athletic self. When he was unable to get out of bed because of severe back pain, she knew something wasn’t right.
Crystal
My story starts in early December 2024. I had been getting sick a lot that year, and it finally struck me as odd when it just wouldn’t go away. I had this intense pressure in my chest as if something was sitting on top of it. Something felt wrong. I finally realized I had to go in and get checked out; I could no longer ignore my body. Early one morning, I went to urgent care, figuring I might have pneumonia or a chest infection and that I’d be sent home with some medication.
Paige
On September 8, 2020, my youngest baby Paige was diagnosed with high-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (HR B-cell ALL) at Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C. This diagnosis came after two weeks of visually noticing a change in Paige's behavior. By that point, she had been suffering from a high fever (102-104°) for two weeks after being misdiagnosed by Patient First Urgent Care. She had extreme fatigue, complaints of sore muscles, and literally not wanting to do anything. But this discovery happened by chance.
Gwendolyn
Gwendolyn describes herself as a wanderlust who never likes to let the grass grow under her feet. After college, she moved from her hometown in Florida to Houston and spent the next few years moving around Texas for work. She started her new life in Texas where her son, Sterling, was born and raised. She loves traveling, but following a trip to Belize, she started to notice white spots on her skin and other strange issues happening with her health. After doing some research on her own and going to the doctors, she was told she likely had lupus.
Drew
One thought that never crossed my mind as a parent was the fear of a cancer diagnosis for my five year old son.
A few months shy of his 6th Birthday, Drew had very typical cold symptoms, but they were persistent and he was extremely fatigued. After a two visits to his primary care physician, come over the counter medicines and finally a trip to Urgent care, we had a lot of questions but no answers. My husband took him to his primary care Dr on Monday and we insisted on a blood test.
Halley
My story with cancer began long before I was diagnosed this year at 33. When I was 4 years old, my 18-month-old sister, Hannah, became too tired to play with me. As a child, I didn’t know what was going on, but something seemed wrong. My mom started taking her to doctor after doctor to find out what was happening. It wasn’t until we visited my grandmother in Florida that she had to go to the ER, and our family got the concerning news that she may have cancer.
Patrick
It was November 2023. The doctor looked at me and said, “Mr. Reese, I’m terribly sorry to have to tell you this, but the leukemia has relapsed again. Combined with the graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) that is currently raging, we no longer have options for treatment. Our suggestion is that you start comfort care through hospice.”
Kari
I am writing this in 2022, but I never would have believed when acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) struck my daughter in 2013, that it would feel like we were back at step 1.
Nicholas
It started with a stiff neck. Then came fatigue and a sore throat. I started feeling full after only a few bites of food. Workouts were getting more difficult to complete. My heart rate was consistently north of 100 just lying in bed. Rationalized. It's maybe strep. Could be mono. I prescribed myself antibiotics and popped ibuprofen. Nothing was working. Reluctantly went to an urgent care after weeks of feeling like this. Bloodwork was done.
Aila
Aila was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on October 5, 2023. She was nearly 16 months old and was just getting used to being a walking toddler and enjoying the exploration of her world. Aila had been feeling sick for a few weeks before she was diagnosed. She had fevers, irritability, fatigue, sleeping long hours, and a decreased appetite. In the last several days before she was diagnosed, she started getting unexplained bruising and petechiae (broken blood vessels) all over her body.
Treatment for Indolent NHL Subtypes
Indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes progress slowly. They make up about 40 percent of all NHL cases in the United States. Indolent subtypes include:
Juliana
Juliana is a vibrant, sweet, intelligent, and brave daughter to Judith and Jorge. She was born on May 24, 2017, in Houston, Texas. On December 30, 2021, Juliana was diagnosed with leukemia. On January 2, 2022, after three and a half days in the hospital and one full day in the ICU, her diagnosis was confirmed as B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).