Search Results

Stephanie

I was diagnosed with blood cancer when I was a 19-year-old sophomore in college. That summer, I had started to get deep, constant coughs. I went to the doctor’s office at least three times, only to be diagnosed with a cold or bronchitis.I continued to feel unwell for several months.

Carter

In May 2019, when Carter was just two years old. While attending his cousin’s graduation in New York City, I knew something was not right because he was not feeling well. We rushed him to New York Presbyterian Hospital where he received several blood and platelet transfusions. He was then transferred to Cornell Medical Center where many tests were performed that resulted in the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). When we heard those three word’s Carter has cancer, we did not expect that news!

Miriam

I was extremely fatigued. I suspected that I had leukemia since I knew a lot about cancer. I saw my primary care doctor and described how bad I felt and my suspicion. He immediately ran blood tests and then referred me to a hematologist oncologist.

Nicole

Just two weeks into my junior year of high school, I was pulled out of class at lunch and packed a small overnight bag, not realizing I wouldn’t return to school for the entire year. 

My name is Nicole, and in 2022, I celebrated the 10-year anniversary of that life-altering day. 

Krystina

On June 13, 2014, my sweet daughter Krystina Sharpe Perry was diagnosed with PH positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Unfortunately, all her chemotherapy treatments didn't seem to work.

After a year of chemotherapy, Krystina and her doctor decided to do a stem cell (umbilical cord blood) transplant. She had the procedure on July 1, 2015 but her body couldn't fight the infections. With a low immune system and three trips to the intensive care unit, her kidneys, lungs and heart just couldn't continue to function.

Christopher

Christopher was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on July 9, 2012 when he was 10 years old. After feeling tired and experiencing bone pain and headaches for three weeks, he went to the doctor. A requested blood test revealed leukemia cells.

Jaime

My name is Jaime Fernandez and I am a Clinical Social Worker with UCI Health. I have the pleasure and honor of working with individuals diagnosed with blood cancers. Supporting my patients and their loved ones as they navigate these diagnoses has become my driving force. I have been a social worker for nine years now and it wasn't until I moved to UCI's Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and began working with this population, that I gained a new appreciation for what I do.

Heather

My name is Heather and I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) +FLT3/ITD on December 14th, 2017. That morning I noticed I was extremely pale and I had large bruises over my body. My doctor ran blood work STAT and within an hour I knew my platelets were below 20 and I needed to rush to the ER. I was pretty near death at that time. I was in Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC), which has a pretty high mortality rate.

Anna

As many of you know, in 2015 our daughter Anna was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She had a very successful treatment, and God answered my wife and my prayers. As of March 2023, Anna has been cancer-free for five years making her a cancer survivor. On October 21, Aimie, Anna, and I will participate in the Light The Night (LTN) walk for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Funds raised through LTN allow LLS to fund treatments for patients who have blood cancer. As you can imagine, this cause is very special to Aimie and me.

Erica

By the time I was 32 years old, I was a 3-time cancer survivor. At 22 years old, I was diagnosed with MALT lymphoma, at a time (1999) when the doctors knew very little about it and believed it had only been found in men over the age of 80 in their stomach (mine was found in my neck).

Cayden

In April 2020, three-year-old Cayden began experiencing leg pain and developed an unusual limp that alarmed his mother, Courtney. Soon, the pain progressed to a stiff neck and loss of appetite. Just two weeks later, after multiple tests and doctor appointments, Courtney and her husband would hear the words that every parent fears, "your child has cancer". Cayden was diagnosed with a high-risk form of blood cancer, Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Christa

I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at three years old. I experienced two and a half years of chemotherapy, lumbar punctures, blood transfusions, hair loss, and surgery. Since then, I have not wasted a single day. I live each day to the fullest, remembering a time when my future was unsure. I want to make the most of my second chance by striving to achieve what may seem like a challenge. My goal is to become a psychologist and specialize in the behavioral and cognitive development of children. I want to continue to be a part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

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.

Jeff

A little over two years ago, I was diagnosed as having chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). I was shocked and devastated by the news and immediately began seeing an oncologist. My team from the cancer center has been uplifting, positive, and supportive from the very beginning! They have been successfully treating my cancer and have taught me not to fear my disease.

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.

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.

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!

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."

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.

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! 

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.

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.

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.

Russ

(As told by Russ Parker’s wife Karen A. Parker) In the fall of 2004, Russ was looking forward to a surfing trip to Fiji with his son Rusty and a group of good friends.  He was a real estate developer, surfer, soccer coach, swimmer and runner.

Graysen

Graysen was born in March 2017. She was born the day before my birthday and we often say that she was the greatest birthday present ever. She was such an easy-going baby - happy, curious, and sweet with a magnetic personality. She was seemingly healthy, happy and 21 months old when we shockingly learned she had leukemia in November 2018. It was a diagnosis we never saw coming and one we were forced to simultaneously digest, navigate and hit head on.