Search Results
Geoffrey
It all started with a limp. Then we began to notice random bruises on his arms and legs. Ten days before his 5th birthday, he had a fever that just wouldn’t go away. We went to see our family doctor, and after doing bloodwork, they said we needed to get to Children’s Hospital immediately. He was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), and this began the start of a journey that we never imagined we would be on.
Lewis
Lew developed leukemia from being in a building at Ground Zero on 9/11. He returned there every day afterward for over a year, breathing in the carcinogenic ash which compromised his immune system. He is currently in the World Trade Center Health Program.
In 2012, he was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and was told he’d have a year to live. But as he likes to say, he is like a Timex watch that takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.
As a result of two bone marrow transplants in 2014, he developed graft versus host disease (GVHD).
Tessa
Tessa surprised our family when she came rockin' an extra chromosome. She spent 11 days in the NICU and left with oxygen but seemed in good health otherwise. When Tessa turned 18 months old, she became very sick. She had multiple infections that wouldn't go away, became lethargic, and wasn't her cheerful self anymore. After a blood test, her pediatrician suspected leukemia. More tests confirmed Tessa had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). She went through chemotherapy for two and a half years and finished treatment in May 2020.
Lauren
My husband, Frank, was a 40-year-old, hard-working family man and the sole provider for me and our two children when his world was turned upside down by a routine blood test showing he had acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This was a nightmare for all. He had to be admitted to Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital for five weeks where he received chemotherapy and ended up in the ICU with sepsis, heart failure, and organ damage. We were not sure if he was ever going to get out of there, but he became strong enough for his bone marrow transplant and had that in October.
Sherri
I have donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) for many years. This year I wanted to do more in honor and loving memory of my dad, Frederick.
Lilian
My name is Lillian and I'm 43 years old I have a Alp leukemia. I went into the hospital on July23rd and didn't come out of it until August 2nd then I realize I was being transported and all I could remember was a yellow heart hanging and I was just out of it the whole time.
I'm still trying to grasp on the back that I have leukemia and then I'm going through all this chemo I'm trying to find help for my bone marrow transplant because I have no coverage. I've been very fortunate and lucky because many other states and countries they wouldn't have this when I was a teenager.
Danielle
In February 2015, my daughter Danielle was diagnosed with leukemia. She was 25 years old, and a professional dancer out on tour in Detroit when I got the call no mom ever wants to hear. She said, "Mom are you sitting down? The doctor says I have leukemia". Just typing this makes my heart sink.
She has been such a trooper three long years of treatments but i am here to say she is doing well. She met an angel while going through treatment and is getting married in May 2018! It has been the hardest three years of both of our lives but we now can look ahead.
Nandini
Everything was picture perfect in my life. A beautiful family with two beautiful daughters and husband. And then, in March 2009, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
I had been recovering from aplastic anemia since 2002. However, AA progressed into AML. A transplant was the best cure available and a kind unrelated donor was found who gave a new lease to my life. After a painful bone marrow transplant recovery, I am now in remission. My older daughter just went to college and my younger daughter is in fourth grade.
Keith
When the doctor calls you and says, "I need to speak to you as soon as possible," you know the news can't be good. I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia, bastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN). Most doctors have never even heard of it.
Alexis
My grandma has been close to me for as long as I can remember. Holidays, birthdays, and summers — I always remember being with her and my grandpa. We took trips on cruises, visited Hawaii, and I had amazing chances to get closer to them. When my grandma was diagnosed with leukemia, my family and I knew we wanted to do something bigger. We joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training (TNT) to run the Walt Disney Marathon Weekend Dopey Challenge, and it was an amazing experience.
Arturo Pierre
I’m 61 years old. I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) the first time at 51, unaware of any symptoms. I was told that my diagnosis at my age was unusual. After chemotherapy and remission, the disease returned during COVID while I was being treated orally. The second experience was much worse. I’m in clinical remission for the second time in 10 years. Besides CLL, I wrestle with numerous orthopedic issues. I live an active lifestyle and maintain a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and work full time.
Clinical Trials
Taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice for some myeloma patients. Clinical trials are under way to develop treatments that increase the remission rate of myeloma or cure the disease. Today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) continues to invest funds in myeloma research.
Caregiving During Treatment
Preparing the HomeDuring 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:
Jennifer
On New Year's Day 2012, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I watched the ball drop in the ICU with a nurse assigned to me. They heard my mom being asked if I needed to be resuscitated, so they proceeded with that and then to hear her respond to do everything you can for her. The seriousness of that is very overwhelming.
Steven
I'm the wife, Hannah. My husband is the fighter. I call him Mr. Steven, babe, and sometimes even Esteban. We fight together, of course, but he's the one throwing the punches and kicking cancer's butt.
Russ
Shockingly I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on February 28, 2024! My wife Nancy and I were devastated and had zero background or experience with leukemia. We were sent to UCLA for treatment. What a godsend!
Cassie
Cassie Fetsch is a regular volunteer for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Minnesota chapter. When school is out, staff members can count on Cassie to be in the office folding letters, stuffing and labeling envelopes, counting Team In Training brochures, cleaning out drawers or putting together pizza boxes. Since Domino's sponsors LLS's Pennies for Patients program, they donate all the boxes to ship campaign supplies. This year, Cassie assembled boxes for more than 800 schools!
Lorelai
I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when I was 11. Throughout my entire cancer journey, I had a lot of people in my corner. But what I found most helpful was following The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) social media platforms and reading the articles on their website. Through LLS, I felt like someone actually understood what I was going through. Recently, I have been one of the very lucky students chosen to receive the LLS Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors which will be the reason I am able to continue attending college.
Nikolette
I was truly honored to be a recipient of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors. After fighting two different types of cancer, both forms of lymphoma and leukemia, I was unsure what my collegiate education would look like. I had to medically withdraw from my freshman year of college at Penn State University in the fall of 2018 when I received my second diagnosis. My family and I were completely devastated, but I was able to successfully undergo a bone marrow transplant and have been showing no evidence of disease (NED) for 3½ years now!
Cary
Cary was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the fall of 2012. After spending more than 100 days in the hospital, undergoing intense chemo treatments, and blood transfusions Cary is now in remission. You can only imagine the struggle and heartache a cancer diagnoses was at only 33 years of age with a wife, 3 small boys, and a career.
David
My dad, David, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on March 1, 1993, after looking at his blood under a microscope in college class. He started three years of intense chemotherapy on March 8, 1993, and finished it on January 26, 1996, while a third-year medical student. He was told that there was a 50% survival at five years and 30% survival at 10 years and that he would likely not be able to have children. During that time, he got married. Two years after finishing chemo, my oldest brother was born. I have three older brothers and an older sister.
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.
Jennifer
My mother, Jennifer, was diagnosed with breast cancer completely unexpectedly in 2015 and beat it a year later. Soon after, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We were in complete shock. She is single and lives on our Indian Reservation in Eastern Oregon with no cancer hospitals, so my sister and I completely dropped our careers and lives in other states to take care of her as we were scared and knew she needed support.
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.