Search Results
Amina
I’m 22 years old, and I have stage 3B Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).
Amrita
November 2007 was the start of my journey as a cancer warrior and survivor. I was diagnosed with Diffused Large B cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) and it is incredible for me to reflect on the fact that I am coming up on my 15th year anniversary of diagnosis and treatment. I do hear and read powerful stories of other survivors and in so many ways I think my journey with and after cancer diagnosis resonates with those.
Don
In January of 2016, my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). He was unresponsive to treatment. He went into remission, but it quickly came back. The clinic said they couldn’t do anything more, so he was referred to the University of Minnesota for a clinical trial. The treatment included me, as his daughter, donating my T-cells. The clinical trial was helpful but didn’t get the results he needed, and cancer came back.
Jessica
Last spring, I was a normal college junior. I had just returned from spring break in the Caribbean with my best friends, and my biggest problem was party planning my 21st birthday that was coming up.
I had a bump on my neck for a few months at that point. I visited several doctors who all assured me it was just a normal swollen lymph node and nothing to be concerned about. My family decided to fly me home for a weekend to get checked out by my pediatrician who we trust. My pediatrician took the lead for further testing.
Aiden
I am writing to share about my son, Aiden, who is our real superhero and has superpowers that shine bright through his love of dance. From a very young age, we considered Aiden to be our gifted child. He has a free spirit and loves to connect with the world and others in it. His parents have taught him to "dream big" and "reach for the stars" and he can do whatever he puts his mind to.
Mary
I was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) on April 3, 2023.
I had just gotten married in June 2022, and my husband and I were ready to start a family and our life together. I turned 40 years old in July 2022, so I scheduled my first mammogram. My OBGYN wrote a prescription for a sonogram as well considering I have dense breasts. I would have never realized that I needed both if I had not been advised. My cancer would not have been detected with just a mammogram.
Jennifer
I remember diagnosis clearly. I was sitting in the UCSF doctor’s office of a man I had not met before a physician I was referred to. I had first gone to a doctor on my Blue Cross Insurance list, a Russian woman who said the word “lymphoma.” I was hoping the foreign word would continue to be foreign. She gave me a referral to UCSF on Fillmore Street in San Francisco close to where I was living at the time.
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).
Eli
March 16, 2013. I will never forget the moment I first saw the bump. We went to the pediatrician that afternoon. Our doctor looked at Eli and said “Don’t worry. This is not cancer.” A month later we were in for a checkup and a doctor suggested that we should have Riley Hospital take a look. We got into Riley in May and they told us that we would need to do a MRI. I will never forget how we heard over and over “these things are rarely cancer.” After MRI’s and ultrasounds they decided to remove it. This was August -- six months after I had first brought it to their attention.
Amy
My story begins on Christmas Eve 2008. My daughter was a 8th grader and was singing her first solo during Christmas Eve mass. I was sick!
Larry
Larry Loose, a great big bear of a man with a penchant for classic cars, off road racing, dirt bikes and living large. This man, my husband of twenty five years, had worked 12-hour days for decades in hopes of being able to retire early, move to the desert and spend our later years as snowbirds in beautiful Arizona.
Jason
From an early age, Jason Wexler showed an interest in curing cancer and would even make "potions," according to his mother, Sherri. An extrovert like his father, Kevin, Jason has always liked making a difference for others and has great ideas to share.
When he turned sixteen, the sophomore at The Grauer School in Encinitas knew he wanted to do something to help give back. Jason learned about the "Students of the Year" program for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and knew he had to get involved.
Kimberlee
On December 29, 2023, my life took an unexpected turn. My family and I were traveling to California for the holidays when, during takeoff back to Georgia, I felt a sudden pop in my chest as the cabin pressure changed. I was immediately struck by intense pain, unable to move or catch my breath. Determined to hold on until we landed, I braced myself through the agony.
Radiation Therapy
This treatment, which uses high-energy rays (x-rays) to kill cancer cells, is used selectively in myeloma treatment to kill myeloma cells. For example, radiation therapy is the main treatment for solitary plasmacytoma and for carefully selected patients whose bone pain does not respond to chemotherapy. Radiation therapy may, however, be impractical if there are widely distributed areas of painful bone involvement in the body.
Keana
Hello, my name is Keana. I am 26 years old, and I was born in Columbus Ohio. I was born with a rare heart condition called “hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.” It is a hereditary disease on my mother’s side. Many family members, including my mother, have passed away from the disease, and the other half received heart transplants, which is what led to me. I recently got my heart transplant in September 2021 and was admitted to the hospital for three months, one before and two after. After my heart transplant, I came in contact with COVID.
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.
Luis
I used to donate blood at least three times a year. I did it as a way of helping others and never realized it would one day lead to me being diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome. But that’s exactly what happened in 2006, when a case of anemia kept me from donating blood that year.
Kathie & Dave
Dave and I have been a part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) since 1998. I can’t even remember how many Team In Training events we’ve done. We have both done at least one a year if not more since Michael, our son, was diagnosed.
This picture explains it all. Michael was 5 years old when he was diagnosed and of about 10 kids going through treatment with him at the time, I think only he and another are still here today. I know the statistics should be better but that’s the reality for us.
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.
Christal
My brother was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in September 1996 and passed away in April 1997, his senior year of high school and less than a month after turning 18. As a young person watching my brother suffer through his cancer diagnosis and subsequent death, it took away pieces of me that I will never get back. Not only me but my parents, his friends, our church, and strangers alike. Throughout the years, I have felt exhausted in grief as I denied my feelings, only to be hit by it in full force in unexpected moments.
Tim
I was diagnosed with follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in preparation for heart surgery. While my disease was stage 3, it was also slow-growing, and I went ahead and had open-heart surgery in January 2022 to repair a valve. Six months later, my disease had advanced, and I began four rounds of Rituxan® which did not work sufficiently. However, in that interim, I signed up for the Boston Marathon ― which goes by my house ― to run for Dana Farber where I am being treated.
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.