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A. Timothy Lunsford-Stevens JD
In 1970, I was playing baseball in high school as a freshman, playing second base. A bully made a hit and ran from first to second base, tackling me. I got into a fight with him because of the pain I was feeling in my left hand. After the fight, I needed to go to the hospital. In setting my broken hand, they also did a blood test. The results showed why my hand was so fragile; I had acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I had chemotherapy but no radiation or other treatment. I lived in Georgia and went to MD Anderson in Houston for chemotherapy.
Dana
I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in January 2018. I was lucky enough to get into City of Hope which is about 25 minutes from my house. I received all my treatment there. The first treatment was R-CHOP chemotherapy which required me to be in the hospital three to five days every three weeks for six months. I relapsed after six months and did an autologous bone marrow transplant in March of 2019. After about eight months, I relapsed again and prepared for an unrelated donor transplant.
Miranda
A little over a year ago, I finished a treatment that saved my life and gave me purpose. In October 2016, I was diagnosed with stage IV of Hodgkin lymphoma and was fortunate enough to receive medical care that allowed me to conquer my cancer journey.
Callie
In January 2016, I was diagnosed with stage II Hodgkin lymphoma. I was four months pregnant at the time, and it was decided to carry to term because this type of blood cancer is a slower spreading cancer.
In May 2016, I had a healthy boy and 10 days later began my first of many chemo treatments. The following October I had my last treatment and I was excited to get back to "normal" life.
Pilar
My name is Pilar, and I am 34 years old. I used to work for the workforce board of Philadelphia, working with youth, until I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) back in October 2020. It has been a hard battle, but I am positive and blessed to have the support of my family and friends. Additionally, I was very fortunate my sister, Marcela, was a match to be my donor.
Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia
Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML)- Is an uncommon blood cancer that have overlapping features of two other types of blood cancers.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy uses your own immune system to fight cancer. There are several types of immunotherapies, and each works to help the immune system in a different way. Some boost your body’s immune system. Others train your immune system to attack specific cancer cells.
Immunotherapies being used or studied to treat blood cancer include:
Jamaal
Jamaal Simmons had non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL). He was such a brave person. He worked at Publix supermarket and he went to Clark Atlanta University. He was about to graduate from college when he passed away.
It is now 14 years since he's been gone. But I still donate and collect donations and I've been doing this for many years. I will keep on doing it to help fight this blood cancer.
- Jamaal's mom, Sharon Williams.
Henry
On April 6, 2021, we heard for the first time, “We think it's leukemia.” As I watched my boy jumping on the neighbor's bounce house enjoying the first warm spring afternoon, my mind went to one simple question, “Why him?” Up until that point, our then three-year-old, Henry, had been the happiest and healthiest toddler.
Michele
The news came that I had been dreading after three days of being hospitalized. Finally, they would tell me my diagnosis. Why my blood counts were critically low. Why the pain in my right leg was excruciating. Why morphine didn’t touch that pain. Since arriving at the hospital, my inner dialogue was on repeat, “What’s wrong with me? Somebody please just tell me everything is going to be fine."
CALEB
November 2017, my life changed forever when I was diagnosed with a fatal form of blood cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I had no idea what it meant. All I knew is that I woke up one day, like any other, and this time I woke up with a cancer that was going to kill me in a few months. The hardest part of that day was having to tell my Mother that her son has cancer. But after a lot of tears she said to me “Caleb, we’ve got this.” And I just remember that word “we” so vividly. I remember thinking I’m not in this alone. This is a WE thing!
Holly
In 2016, I joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Tennessee Chapter as a supportive member of Team Addie. I had friends who became team members the previous year, walking in Nashville’s Light The Night Walk (LTN), and they encouraged me to get involved in the cause with LLS and LTN. Nashville is a city that my friends and I have gained so much love for through the years. I must admit I was hesitant to join at first because blood cancer specifically hadn’t affected my life or the people in it.
Kevin
In 2011, I was given two months to live after I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
I had to stay at the Bone Marrow Transplant Center at the Salt Lake City Hospital for a very long time and undergo a very hard fight.
My aortic valve failed this year from the chemo, but I had open heart surgery in May 2017 and I am grateful to be alive!
I live in honor to all that passed in our family and those who are still fighting blood cancer.
Steven
I have a rare blood cancer. It is Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM), a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but some doctors say it has the same characteristics as POEMS syndrome.
I have very painful neuropathy, and it affects my legs and feet to the point that some days I cannot walk.
I have a spinal cord stimulator with the battery implanted in my back.
I am thankful to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) for my grants and all the other assistance, especially through this COVID pandemic.
Judy
I was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) on April 6, 1987, just four months after my 30th birthday.
My beautiful daughter had turned three in February. I loved being a mom, and a teacher. I was extremely active as many young parents are and was looking forward to spending more time outside "playing" as the weather improved in the great Canadian north. Life was good.
Kristy
On May 24, 2020, at 23 years old, I started getting dizzy out of nowhere. I thought maybe I needed to eat and sleep better, but it got worse. I went to the ER, and they said I was anemic and sent me home. I bought a bunch of food that’s supposed to help anemia, but I kept getting worse, to the point where I couldn’t get up to eat. I would throw up and get dizzy and almost pass out. I lost color, and my lips turned pale. I lost weight, and I pretty much looked like a zombie. Then one day I couldn’t get up, and I sat in the same spot for hours.
Maria
By the end of November 2008, I started feeling an overwhelming fatigue. I developed a fever and my physician sent me urgently to the emergency room. There I was found to be depleted of blood and needed a transfusion. It seemed so unreal.
After a couple of days and a bone marrow biopsy, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I learned that if I had not sought help in the ER, I could had died.
Disease- and Treatment-Related Pain
People with cancer can have pain caused by the cancer itself, its treatment, or both. They may also have pain caused by other health problems that are unrelated to cancer (like arthritis or diabetes).
Increased pain does not mean that the cancer is getting worse, but you should always tell your healthcare team if you have increased pain.
It’s important to remember that no matter what the cause, pain can be treated.
Myrrah
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivor travels from India to receive LLS-funded treatment
When Myrrah was just six years old, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Her family lived in India at the time, where she received a year of intense treatment. When her blood work showed no signs of cancer, her family celebrated with a vacation to Europe. Then, during a routine checkup they learned that Myrrah’s cancer had returned and the doctors said there was nothing more they could do.
Michael
In 1995, Michael’s daughter Carley was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), M-7 – a rare form of blood cancer – at just two and a half years old. For the following year, Michael and his wife, Liz, practically lived at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego while Carley underwent heavy chemotherapy treatment.
Rachel
Rachel was diagnosed with stage 4B Hodgkin lymphoma in February 2015. She was 26 years old. The moment when her oncologist first spoke the words “you have cancer” were surreal to her. She looked to her parents who exchanged the same look of disbelief and shock, then quickly looked away before fear and sadness settled across their faces. Her mind started to race, “How am I stage 4? I don’t feel that sick. This has to be a mistake, where did this even come from? What happens now?”
Barbara
While enjoying a 2021 spring vacation with my husband in Kentucky, I began to feel severe pain in my right arm. Over several hours, the pain increased, but I didn’t want to interrupt our vacation plans with a hospital visit. By late evening, my husband could tell that we must get to an emergency room PRONTO! But where in this large city can we find one? We finally stopped at a Home Depot store and asked for directions. After searching on darkened streets in a strange city, we found the emergency entrance to a hospital.
Yeah!
Flavio
On November 8, 2023, our world changed forever when my husband Flavio was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). What began as a normal recovery from Achilles tendon surgery quickly spiraled into something far more serious. It started with comments about how pale his skin had become, a sign we now realize was the first red flag. I also noticed unusual bruising on his back, but it was dismissed by the surgeon. After several more concerning moments where Flavio was left weak and exhausted from even simple tasks, we decided to get routine bloodwork done.
Graham
In the fall of 2008 my wife and I got married. Shortly after returning from our honeymoon, I began developing pains and weakness in my joints. This continued through the holidays and I sought medical attention when the pain in my shoulders and hips became unbearable. After inconclusive X-rays and unsuccessful Cortisone shots, I began developing a pain in my abdomen around Christmas. The joint pains I wrote off as working out too hard and the abdomen pain I concluded was an ulcer.