Search Results
Michele
I was recently diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). My mom passed away from pulmonary fibrosis right before Thanksgiving 2022. She never smoked and had none of the risk factors that led to that type of disease. So, I thought I would get a physical to make sure I was healthy. I have a 2½-year-old daughter, and I am an older mom, so I figured I should make sure my lungs were healthy. I didn't even have a primary care physician, so I asked my good friends for a recommendation.
Childhood and Young Adult Resources
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Resources for Children, Young Adults and ParentsOne-on-One Support
Damion
In 2020, at the age of 36, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (MM). To say this was out of left field would be an understatement. Historically, MM has been recognized as a blood cancer that impacts older patients. That research may be changing. Also, MM disproportionally affects African Americans. At the time of my diagnosis, I was a pretty healthy guy. I tried to eat right and even played in two basketball leagues each week. When I went to the doctor with stomach issues, I wasn't expecting to leave with a cancer diagnosis.
Lucille
I was diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) in October 2019, at the age of 57. After experiencing months of symptoms such as severe fatigue, bruising easily, and shortness of breath.
Mark
At the age of 18, my dad, Mark Brightbill, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma and underwent chemo and radiation. The Tuesday after my now husband and I got engaged, he was diagnosed with nodular LP Hodgkin lymphoma (after 30 years in remission).
Virginia
I have been living with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) since August 6, 1997. The way I see it, I’m alive today because of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The pill I take each day that keeps my leukemia in remission exists today much because of research grants awarded to Brian Druker, M.D., PhD., of Oregon Health & Science University.
Julian
I was a 10-year-old kid when I was diagnosed with leukemia. I was a happy, energetic kid who loved being outside and was a straight-A student. However, my whole childhood was put on hold indefinitely once I had cancer. Rather than having sleepovers at my friend’s houses, I was sleeping over at the hospital. It was hard to lose my energy, smile, confidence, and hair as treatment took over my life. It was really hard to understand as I was just a kid getting injections, procedures, chemotherapy, and surgery without truly understanding why.
Kelly
In 2001, I was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) at age three and survived thanks to three and a half years of intense treatment at the City of Hope Los Angeles. I am now 25 years old, a college graduate, and working for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), hoping to give back to those who helped save my life. I have volunteered with LLS since 2009 after being chosen as their "Girl of the Year" to inspire candidates to raise money for blood cancer research. In 2017, I became a candidate for the Student of the Year campaign raising over $60,000 in seven weeks.
George
My awareness of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) began years ago when a close family member was diagnosed with leukemia. In the wake of such devastating news, I felt compelled to lend a hand. I am honored to join the LLS family in their fight to cure blood cancers.
Kaidyn
Kaidyn was only six months old when he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). About two months later, he received a bone marrow aspiration and was started on chemotherapy. Over the next ten months, Kaidyn was in and out of Children's Hospital of Oakland. It was there that he took his first steps, said his first words, and even flirted with every nurse in the oncology unit! Kaidyn is now a healthy three-year-old boy with an ear-to-ear grin who participates in his local Light The Night Walk each fall.
Lena
In 2018, I had what I thought was a urinary tract infection (UTI). It ended up being a tumor in my bladder the size of a lime. It turned out to be diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (DLBCL). I ended up doing six rounds of R-CHOP chemo with Neulasta® and a month of radiation afterward. I am grateful to be alive but do have lingering side effects with chemo brain/memory loss, neuropathy in my hands and right arm, loss of taste for certain foods/drinks, and weight gain from prednisone.
Megan
At 31, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It all started with what I thought was a cold or maybe COVID. I kept working, brushing off the symptoms as something minor. But things got worse. I had a persistent cough and unexplained bruises, and I felt constantly out of breath. When I lost part of the vision in my right eye, I knew something was seriously wrong, but without insurance, I hesitated to seek help.
Sarah
In August of 2014, after a routine medical procedure, doctors suspected that Sarah may have a lymphoma type cancer. Soon thereafter, with her husband by her side, doctors confirmed that Sarah indeed had cancer, stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma.
Blaine Davis
Everything happens for a reason, even cancer. I am thrilled to say I just walked out of the hospital doors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after receiving the news that I have achieved a complete and total REMISSION. Leukemia pushed me to death’s door more than once, and it taught me more than I could ever dream of knowing about myself and life in general.
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.
Glenis
The body is ultimately wise. Through this most recent medical ordeal, I learned to listen to what my body was telling me. In 2018, I felt symptoms above and beyond the fibromyalgia ailments that I had been plagued with for 25 years. I had unusual inflammation despite eating healthy and walking on a regular basis. I developed an unrelenting throb of pain in my lower back. My internal medicine doctor at the time dismissed my complaints.
J.J.
The first time I remember hearing of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) was through Team In Training (TNT), specifically from a brochure I picked up at a bike shop that invited one to train for a 109-mile bike ride with TNT. It was 2007, and I thought it sounded like a blast. I convinced my girlfriend at the time, Stacey, to join me. We used the occasion to buy some fancy new bikes. With some fundraising and committed training dates, we would be able to say we had done a Century Bike Ride! Cool!
Lori
Our daughter Britta Wolfarth was 19 when she was diagnosed with AML. We were shocked because we thought it was a blood disorder due to her lupus. The same day for the guy diagnosed she started treatment at West Penn in Pittsburgh right away.
Britta underwent months of chemo and radiation. Britta had to have a bone marrow transplant. Her first owner fell through but the transplant team at West Penn never gave up and found us another donor 2 months later from the National Registry.
Kelvin
I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in February 2014. My journey with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) began one year later when I signed up to participate in my first-ever Light The Night Walk and put together a fundraising team.
The event was amazing and all my family and friends were there to show support. When the blood cancer survivors moved to the middle of the survivor circle to light up their lanterns, it was one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever experienced.
Layla
"Our LLS chapter has been there for us, with support and information that has helped immensely. We've formed a friends and family Ttam for the Light The Night Walk and it feels so rewarding to raise funds to help others who, like Layla, are bravely battling blood cancers." Alecia | Layla's mom
Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia
Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML)- Is an uncommon blood cancer that have overlapping features of two other types of blood cancers.
Roberto
In the fall of 2014, I was living my dream. I had just finished my freshman year at NYU, where I studying musical theater. I was living in the East Village, experiencing everything that New York has to offer. Even though I was a long way from my family in Miami, I absolutely loved it. However, I soon started to feel lethargic, coupled with a lymph node that was popping out of my neck and getting bigger. Something just wasn’t right. I was downing 9 Advil a day and started seeing doctors to try and figure out what was going on.
Greysun
Hi! My name is Greysun! I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on March 23, 2011. I was fortunate to get outstanding medical treatment at UNC Children's Hospital and the cancer center. I have been through many rounds of chemo followed by up to six weeks of hospitalization after each one. I have had radiation to my brain followed up by my first bone marrow transplant.