Search Results

Kent

When Noah was born in 2005, we were surprised when the doctor told us he had Down syndrome.  Soon after, we were informed about all of the things that Noah wouldn’t or couldn’t do in his lifetime.  We were also given a laundry list of medical problems that he could potentially have.  Two months after he was born, Noah went into heart failure and had open heart surgery to correct four holes in his heart.  This was a tough time but boy did we have more to come and didn’t know it.  He has since had multiple surgeries, tests, studies, etc.  We were told that Noa

Kayli

My daughter Kayli is a remarkable 22-year-old, six-time cancer survivor of leukemia who is currently undergoing treatment for a relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that has been recurrent in her central nervous system (CNS) since she was 8 years old. We are hopeful that the upcoming bone marrow transplant will provide a much-needed, life-saving cure for Kayli.

I am an RN and a single mother of five daughters and one son. My only son, Kayli's brother, Markai, is a full match and will be her bone marrow donor. He just graduated high school in May.

Katharine

My mother, Nancy, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a FLT3 mutation in March 2022. Over the next year and a half, she went through multiple rounds and regimens of inpatient and outpatient chemotherapy. At every step along the way, every member of my mom's care team kept mentioning how the outlook for patients like my mom was so much better now than it had been even 10 years ago thanks to advances in medicine.

Riley

On October 17, 2023, my life took a turn I never saw coming. My doctor sat me down and told me, "You have leukemia." It felt like the ground had shifted beneath my feet. I was scared, couldn't believe it was happening, and had no idea what the future held.

Heath Ponder named as member of the National Philanthropy Committee

Todd

This cause is dear to me because my grandmother, Anne Zavorskas, passed away several years ago from Hodgkin’s disease--a form of leukemia. Also, many years ago, my mentor’s son, Ryan Hurley, had a recurrence of leukemia, which he was first diagnosed with at the age of three. He died at the age of 19. Unfortunately, leukemia at the time caused more deaths than any other cancer in children under the age of 20.  These instances led me to my desire to donate time and money to this particular charity. I have volunteered my time and fundraising expertise ever since.

Dani

My daughter was a professional dancer out on tour when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She was 25 years old dancing in Detroit, Michigan, at the time, feeling short of breath and having night sweats. Being a dancer, you are in the best shape of your life, and you know when something is going on with your body. So as a mom not knowing what was wrong, I started to panic and told her to start at the urgent care. Two days later I was on a plane heading to Detroit where they told her they thought she had leukemia.

Austin

In May 2011, when Kimberly Schuetz was starting to plan her son Austin’s third birthday, he was diagnosed with a high-risk form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Austin was immediately placed on a chemotherapy regimen. However, when a routine blood test revealed that he relapsed in October 2012, their only option was a bone marrow transplant to save his life. After that transplant, his cancer came back for the third time in May 2013.

Sandy

In the summer of 2006 I received a letter in the mail much like what you get around the holidays telling of the adventures over the past year.  My friend had recently moved to Tucson with her family.  She shared pictures of their kids and told about the transition from the Seattle area to Tucson.

Phil

My sweet and wild 3-year-old son, Phil, was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) in the midst of the holidays in 2019 on December 27. Phil began treatment right away, following a 2½-year treatment protocol for his leukemia type and risk level. With every hospital visit, chemotherapy infusion, medication to take, procedures in the OR, or “job” he was told to do, Phil smiled, he laughed, and he cooperated (with a little encouragement and bribery of course!). There really was something so special about him.

Shaden

Shaden is fighting against leukemia. He is three years old and was a healthy boy before his diagnosis. Then, out of nowhere, he would get a lot of body aches that were very unusual.

Sometimes Shaden didn’t feel like being the happy, energetic kid he always was. He wouldn’t walk, sleep or eat. We decided to take Shaden to the children’s hospital and they did some testing. They soon told us that he might have leukemia. They did more testing, and Shaden was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Debbie

My only child was my heart and soul!  He was a son to be proud of in so many ways.  Kind, gentle, and caring was only the tip of the iceberg to his character.  He had lots of friends and was always ready to help when called.  He had just finished his freshman year in college when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.  It changed our world.

Kessler

Kessler McLaughlin’s life change forever on July 13, 2006. In the months leading up to that day, he was a typical 14-year-old kid, except that he was in pain all the time. Doctors couldn’t figure out why his joints were in so much pain. 

Cayden

Cayden was only three years old when he was diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL) in April 2020. Before his diagnosis, Cayden was full of energy, and he loved to eat. But then he started to complain about leg pain. We first thought it was just a growth spurt, but the pain got so bad that he could not walk. He also lost his appetite. That wasn’t like him at all, and I knew something was not right. It was the height of COVID-19, but we took him to the emergency room. All of his tests came back negative.

Caregiving During Treatment

During and after cancer treatment, your loved one may find life at home becomes increasingly challenging. If  your loved one is experiencing mobility issues, peripheral neuropathy, pain or weakness after treatment, the following changes to the home may make life easier and safer for your loved one:

Sal

Meet Sal. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Survivor. Florida. Sal was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) before his daughter Olivia celebrated her first birthday. After multiple courses of treatment proved unsuccessful, he underwent a bone marrow transplant in September 2011. Now, almost three years later, Olivia is almost 5 and her Daddy is celebrating his "three-year post-transplant birthday"! Sal is healthy and strong - and has the energy to play and laugh with her. Most beautiful of all, he can now dream of being at her side for all kinds of birthdays to come.

Sophia

My wife and I would have never heard of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) if it were not for losing our 12-year-old daughter on March 12, 2013 to undiagnosed leukemia. If you've heard me speak of my daughter Sophia, you've heard this word: perfect. Her laugh, her eyes, her beautiful smile were all perfect. Sophia was a loving, kind and compassionate child. She loved her friends, her dogs (Katie & Daisy), and her family. Perfect. Sophia's story is very different from others.

Noah

Noah was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) on January 20, 2021. He was just six years old. We noticed Noah had a lot of bruising, dark circles under his eyes, his skin became very pale in color, and he was very fatigued. We took him to his pediatrician where they ran a lot of lab work. The next morning, we received a call stating that his labs did not look good and that he needed to see a pediatric oncologist right away.

Saly & Merna

We began volunteering with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) annual Light The Night (LTN) event in high school. Our hearts were touched by the courage and stories of empowerment present at the event, so we came back the following year, and then the year after that, and so on. Even through COVID, we were supporters of the event and the individuals and families there. We volunteer every year and support LLS as we learn more about friends who are wrestling with and have been impacted by leukemia and lymphoma, always praying for healing and restoration.

Mabel

My name is Mabel. I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in December 2018. I started aggressive treatment at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) became my safety net emotionally and financially. Emotionally they were very present and readily available to answer any questions or concerns I had. Financially they helped me cover the costs of my private medical insurance premiums, co-pays, and co-insurance for medication, labs, and tests. I am forever thankful to the LLS because they are able to help people like me.

Oakley

Oakley was a typical 2-year-old going to gymnastics and play dates with her friends until a week after her third birthday when she began to decline health-wise very quickly. Oakley’s eyes began to swell, alternating between both eyes. We went to one urgent care visit, two ER visits, a visit with her primary pediatrician, and two blood draws before she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Bill

My name is Bill Bannon. I am a semi-retired child support magistrate for the Minnesota State Courts. In April 2017 I experienced shortness of breath, a sore-throat and bleeding gums. I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), was stabilized, and started on intensive chemotherapy. It was soon learned that I had a FLT-3 mutation of this cancer, the most serious and difficult to treat. The only possibility for any chance at survival was a bone marrow or umbilical stem cell transplant (BMT). I chose to continue my treatment at the University of Minnesota.

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.

Chase

Meet Chase. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Survivor. When Chase was just 16 months old, he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Chase's treatment of chemotherapy lasted for three and a half years. Chase endured spinal taps, bone marrow draws, feeding tube placements, port accesses, blood transfusions, and countless medications - always with a smile. Chase triumphed; he's in remission and doing great. Chase's family is committed to finding a cure. They have participated in Light The Night Walk for the last seven years and raised more than $66,000!

Madison

Hello! My name is Madison, but that's not what you need to remember. The name you need to remember is Brodie. You see, I am joining the 2023 Student Visionaries of the Year campaign in honor of my childhood friend, Brodie. In November 2018, Brodie was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) while only in the 6th grade. With a short fight of a long, five months, Brodie gained his wings on April 9, 2019. But today the war wages, on and we are battling this together. Our war is against leukemia, and I have no doubt we are going to win.