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When Your Child Has Cancer
Hearing that your child has cancer is terrifying for any parent. Today, most childhood cancer patients can expect to have full and productive lives. Many childhood cancer survivors return to school, attend college, enter the workforce, marry and become parents. Nevertheless, being vigilant about follow-up care, being aware of long-term and late effects of treatment, helping your child return to school and even dealing with your emotions are all things you’ll need to manage.
Adam
I am very blessed to be surrounded by supportive family and friends and of having persistent pressure to not ignore my health. Thank you!
Jennifer
In 1985, 10-year-old Jennifer took to the stage to accept The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) “Employee of the Year” award for her mother, Teresa McVay, who had lost her battle against chronic myelogenous leukemia earlier that year. That was Jennifer’s first time speaking on stage, but it would not be her last. Driven by her mother’s traumatic passing, Jennifer has been a public speaker on Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs), sharing her own experience with loss in order to bring awareness to the cause.
Ethar
Refugee Family Gives Back to LLS after Daughter Survives Leukemia
Sixteen-year-old Ethar and her family moved to the United States from Iraq in 2015. Just one year later, she was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
“It all started when my lymph nodes began to swell and the pain became very intense,” said Ethar. “It was at this point, that I went to the emergency room with my father so we could try to make sense of what was happening to me.”
Charlene
Cancer. That is a word that is scary. So many of us have friends, family and co-workers that are impacted by some type of cancer, but you never think it will be you. The word conjures up fear. Fear of treatment, fear of death and fear of what will be expected of you to deal with and hopefully survive.
Sasha
When five-year-old Sasha had her birthday in June, there was more to celebrate this year — she had just gotten her port removed and was officially done with blood cancer treatment.
Sasha was just 2 years old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in October 2017. She began intense treatment right away, which continued until right before her fifth birthday. Sasha spent countless days at the hospital fighting for her life and enduring the brutal side effects that came with treatment, but she never lost her charming personality and bright smile.
Deanna
Within 24 hours of going to the local emergency room in New York, I found myself being admitted to the Dana Farber/Brigham Women's Cancer Center in Boston. It was August of 2013 and I was exhausted beyond anything my four kids could inflict upon me and shocked to find out it wasn't anemia, I had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Katie
I was diagnosed with Leukemia when I was 20 months old. I endured treatment for a little over 2 years until I was declared cancer free. Since I was diagnosed so young, I do not remember the treatment. However, I do remember the support from The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) as my family participated in the LLS’s Light The Night walk every year for the past 18 years!
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.
Shar
For the past nine years as a physician assistant, I have had the privilege of taking care of acute leukemia, high-risk lymphoma and bone marrow transplant patients at the Intermountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program. Throughout my years at this job, I have seen the struggles patients and their families face once they’ve been told “you have cancer.” I've enjoyed being an important part of our patients’ medical team, helping them heal physically and emotionally, but I wanted to do more.
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.
William
The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) holds a special place in my heart. I lost my mother to therapy associated with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in July 2021. AML is a type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow and blood. It can be very aggressive and progress rapidly without treatment. There are still certain forms of AML that do not have effective treatments, like the one my mother had. LLS was a resource I knew about from my work in solid tumor cancer research. It helped provide me with patient and caregiver resources that I needed at an extremely difficult time in my life.
Grace
I’m 15 years old, and I’m a ballerina, Junior Zoo Keeper at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, actress, singer, and I am a childhood leukemia survivor.
When I was five years old, my parents noticed that I was getting a lot more bruises and nose bleeds than usual (even living in New Mexico at the time). My abdomen was really swollen and I was taking frequent naps, which was also alarming to my parents. They took me to an urgent care location near my house where the doctors said that I was fine.
Allison
Spring Break of my second year of medical school marked the beginning of an unexpected chapter in my life. What I had initially brushed off as the flu led me to the emergency room, only to discover that I had acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). At 24, the trajectory of my life drastically shifted, steering me away from my aspirations of orthopedic surgery towards a path I could have never foreseen.
Lauren
To be healed by the miracles of modern medicine and prayer was the most profound experience of my life. It is difficult to articulate the gratitude my family and I feel in our hearts for the people who made it so. There is no scenario where I would be here today, writing this account, without the research made possible by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
Jelien
Jelien started showing signs in early July of 2018. She had bruises and cuts that were taking too long to heal. In November, she kept spiking fevers with no other symptoms, and the doctor suggested giving her Motrin and switching to Tylenol. In December, during her well visit, Jelien’s bloodwork came back with slightly low counts, but her hemoglobin was too low. She was admitted to the hospital for a day for observation, and her counts were recovering. She had a follow-up and was cleared.
Karrah
I was first diagnosed with pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in June of 2018. Like a whirlwind, I spent the next nine months fighting for my life, battling sepsis, liver failure, and receiving more transfusions than I could ever count. But I achieved remission for 18 months! And during those 18 months, I made every moment count. When my cancer came back in January of 2021, I was devastated, but we had a plan. If I achieved a second remission, I could have a bone marrow transplant and another chance at beating this.
Lauren
"I am a chronic leukemia-fighting mother of 4 boys and wife. In 2009, I was diagnosed with Essential Thrombocythemia. The diagnosis came after having multiple cerebellar strokes caused by a certebral artery dissection and a platelet count of 1.5 million, which is more than 3 times the normal limit. I immediately was told that I would start oral chemo called Hydrea which I would remain on indefinitely or until a cure was found.
Angela
I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in April 2009. I was so devastated. The first thing that got me through was a friend who had just won his battle with leukemia. I hadn't seen him in about a year, but he popped up all of a sudden that day and gave me hope.
A couple of months later, the oncologist and I agreed I would go into a wait and see period. He said it would likely be 6-10 years before I needed any treatment. I made it almost 6 years. I began treatment in March 2015.
Brian
Brian Shaw (a.k.a. “Little Man”) is an energetic, happy, intelligent and compassionate six-year-old boy. For nearly a year, starting when he was four, several of those characteristics seemed submerged beneath the side effects of daily chemotherapy that followed his diagnosis with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Though his treatments continue (3-1/2 years in total), the side effects have alleviated somewhat and Brian is getting back to his normal self, attending school, etc.
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).
Ethan
When I was just under two years old, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). My brother was born just a few days later, and it became an extremely difficult time for my family. Because I was so young, I do not remember most of my treatments that lasted until I was almost five years old. The closest place for treatment was Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, which was a three-hour drive away. Weekend trips to KC became normal, which meant lots of gas money and fast food.
Cindy
On June 5, 2014, at the age of 53, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I was admitted to the hospital the day my bloodwork came back with suspicions of leukemia. I spent the first month having weeklong bouts of chemotherapy. Following my second treatment, I crashed and was placed on a ventilator for two weeks followed by a tracheotomy that was kept in place for six months. This was a huge setback to my recovery as I was in the hospital for four continuous months. It was necessary for me to go to a rehab facility for a month to regain my strength.
Nathaniel
In 2015 at just 15 months old, Nathaniel started to get sick on a regular basis. He started running a fever and his blood count was really low and we pushed for answers when he wasn't getting better until we were told to go to the Children's Hospital. He was extremely pale, wouldn't eat, and lethargic at this point.