Search Results
Erika
I am a 36-year-old cancer survivor. In February 2014, I found a suspect lump and had become unusually tired. I was a career-driven single mother of a very active 10-year-old boy, so when I say unusually tired it was time to call the doctor. Within days I was thrown into the crazy and often times confusing world of hospital appointments and insurance company battles for various procedures and surgical biopsies. We became pros at the waiting game.
Andrea
In October 2015, my family had just moved to Texas for a new start. I had a new career, and two young boys ― a 2-year-old and a 7-year-old.
I wasn’t feeling well and went to urgent care one day where we discovered my white blood cell count was 113. They sent me straight to the ER where I was all alone because we had no one here yet and couldn’t bring the kids to the hospital. Three days later, I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).
Christen
Originally from northern New York, Christen moved to Denver, Colorado, in 2015 after completing her Bachelor of Science of Nursing at Le Moyne College to pursue a career in cancer care. Through a close relationship with her grandparents, she saw how her grandma, a retired registered nurse, graciously cared for her grandpa while he lived with esophageal cancer for close to a decade. The unwavering love, dedication, and courage they shared inspired Christen to seek out a specialty that allowed her to provide compassionate, holistic care to those in need.
Rohan
I am an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) survivor. I am now 10 months post-transplant and feeling stronger every day.I was born and raised in the Bay Area to South African Indian parents. I hold degrees from UC Berkeley and USC. I have built my career around advocating for equity in tech and marketing services that uplift underrepresented communities.
Whitney
I am delighted to be a new member of the Clinical Trial Support Center team at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)! After eight years as a clinical nurse, charge nurse, and assistant nurse manager at various oncology hospitals across the country, I am honored to now work with blood cancer patients as a Spanish-speaking, CTSC nurse navigator.
Casey
It was in May, 2014 that 24-year-old Casey Moore began experiencing her first symptoms of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). For a week straight, Casey had been vomiting every day and was losing a significant amount of weight. This was unusual, as prior to her symptoms, she considered herself a happy, healthy woman focused on her relationship and career. At the time, she was living with her boyfriend and working full time in a chiropractic office -- with no apparent signs of an illness.
Tom
Hello Friends — this is my leukemia journey, For those of you who don’t know me, my entire 38-year teaching career was spent with 9-12 year olds. I’ve always relished the authenticity and passion of this age group and that led me to a very satisfying and rewarding chapter in my life.
Lauren
My name is Lauren, I'm 20 years old and I am a lymphoma survivor. The summer after graduating high school, I began to develop symptoms consisting of a dry cough, a lump under my arm and shortness of breath.
Luigi
Luigi was diagnosed with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) during his junior year of high school, at the age of 16. During that time, Luigi was preparing for college applications and getting ready to play in his varsity basketball and varsity volleyball season. But all of that came to a halt with his diagnosis. While undergoing multiple rounds of dose-adjusted chemotherapy, Luigi continued to push himself and decided to get home schooling. He also continued to support his basketball team in the sidelines as much as he could.
James
I am a cancer survivor and my story starts in the summer of 1999. On June 9, an MRI revealed a tumor the size of a golf ball in my brain. A biopsy showed it to be a primary central nervous system non-Hodgkin lymphoma. I remember this date vividly because it was my wife’s birthday and she had to break the news to me. This marked the beginning of our journey.
Gianna
My story began nearly seven years ago on February 28 when I received the call from my doctor and heard those dreaded words, “You have cancer.” A week prior, I had gotten a lymph node biopsy for a lump that randomly grew on my neck. As a healthy 19-year-old, cancer was the furthest thing from my mind, and receiving a diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) was simply unbelievable to me and my family. Hearing this news began a three-week blur of diagnostic testing and meetings with oncologists, fertility specialists, and surgeons before my first chemotherapy treatment on March 23, 2015.
Jesse
My name is Jesse Jordan. I'm a 37 year cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) when I was 17 months old. Cancer has been one of the defining moments of my life and it helps me keep the right perspective towards life. The moment I take life for granted, cancer reminds me of how precious life is and how blessed I am to be here. I believe I am meant to share my cancer story with others. Cancer increases my awareness of life every day and reinforces my commitment to help others. My hope is that my personal cancer story can give hope to others.
Erica
Erica was diagnosed with potentially fatal Stage 4 Hodgkin Lymphoma on March 28, 2013. Her journey to survive her battle with cancer was very trying but after overcoming her obstacles, Erica is very passionate about inspiring people to have the d’zire to survive any challenges that they may face in their lives. Erica’s fight to survive lymphoma had its highs and its lows, however, she didn’t give up even when at times her battle seemed like it wasn’t getting any easier.
Munira
I will never underestimate my parents' sacrifices to provide my siblings and me with the millions of opportunities we have due to their hard work. My parents were born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Both were born to families who instilled the traditional family value of grit in every walk of life. My parents both obtained a high school diploma with the intent of seeking higher education, but the obstacles of living in a developing country robbed them of the chance.
Robert
My story starts in March 1983. I was lucky to have been chosen to attend Squadron Officer School in residence at Maxwell, AFB, Alabama. I was, I thought, a healthy 28-year-old and newly married with a promotion to captain the following month. Then, a worrying symptom suddenly occurred. Everything was going dark briefly under physical exertion. I shrugged it off as heat exhaustion until just climbing one flight of stairs resulted in a blackout without unconsciousness. It was then I decided to drive home for the weekend to advise my wife and decide my course of action.
Eva
In 2014, as a 19-year-old sophomore in college, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). After two years of suffering from a mystery illness, I finally had answers; my itchy feet, night sweats, frequent infections, and shooting pain all snapped into place with a cancer diagnosis. I called all of my closest friends and packed my bags. I’d moved 3,000 miles for college, and traveled all the way back home — Los Angeles to Boston — for treatment. Next up would be six months of ABVD chemotherapy, known to be very effective and very unpleasant.
Jeffrey
My name is Jeff Kurowski and I am 35 years old. I have lived with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) for two years and Crohn's disease (CD) for 20 years. I have had three feet of my intestines removed. I now depend on daily bowel suppression medication, monthly B12 shots, biologic therapy for a quality of life, and a daily targeted chemotherapy pill to stay alive.
Kassandra
Exactly a month before my 24th birthday, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). As a young adult, hearing the words “you have cancer” come from a physician’s mouth was earth-shattering, to say the least.
Prior to my diagnosis, I had been working in clinical research and was enrolled in a Biomedical Science Master’s program with hopes of continuing to medical school and becoming a physician. However, my career aspirations were placed on hold when I received my diagnosis. Immediately, my dedicated student lifestyle turned into one of a full-time patient.
Amina
I’m 22 years old, and I have stage 3B Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).
Allison
In May of 2020, shortly after the first lockdown for COVID-19, I noticed a small lump on the side of my neck. Living in Southern Indiana during the spring, I usually get allergies from the fields, so I thought I just had a swollen lymph node from that. Considering I was only 15 at the time, the last thing that ever crossed my mind was the possibility of cancer. But after a month, the lymph node had yet to go down and had done the opposite. It slowly progressed and eventually moved to the other side of my neck.
Yolanda
A general doctor’s appointment that included standard bloodwork changed my life in my thirties. I was planning a trip when my doctor came back with news of high protein levels and told me I should find a hematologist. It was when he contacted me twice to see if I found one that brought seriousness to the conversation. I chose a random doctor who told me I had multiple myeloma (MM), gave me a list of the dos and don’ts, and the drug I needed to be placed on.
Dallas
Leukemia, as many of you know, is a cancer. It damages your body to the point where you are so comfortable with death and dying that it becomes an afterthought because in your mind you’ve already died. You see so many of your friends pass away at such a young age that it is devastating to the point where you become extremely emotionally advanced or numb. The resemblance that trauma has with a double-edged sword is that you either skyrocket or hit rock bottom.
Chase Malone
I am a Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor. It took me seven months to build up the courage to share my story, but if my story inspires even just one other patient like myself, I’d be more than grateful.
I was 21 and had just graduated a year early from Florida State University with my finance degree. I moved to Miami to start my dream career in commercial real estate investment finance. I was seemingly on top of the world before tragedy struck.