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Big Climb
No matter where you live, no matter what your connection to cancer may be, you can step up to take cancer down by being a part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Big Climb.
Take on a new challenge, by climbing to the top of iconic buildings, all while raising critical funds towards The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
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Lila
It’s January 11th, 2017, well past midnight, probably around 3 am. I am on the side of a mountain in Africa, 1000 miles away from home, in pitch black out, -20º with the winds, and I can barely feel my fingers. All I can see is the headlamp spot of light shining on the trail.
I think to myself, “Well, Lila, maybe this was not your best idea!” I look up and call my teammate in front of me, my best friend Dawn, and say, “Dawn, I am sorry I talked you into this.” She just looks at me, gives a knowing smile, then turns back to the path in front of us!
Gabriele
For approximately a year leading up to my diagnosis, I began experiencing various symptoms and was generally feeling unwell. About 3 months prior to diagnosis, my joint and bone pain started impacting my daily life heavily. I was struggling to lift my arms and walk normally. Of the many symptoms, the most extreme were breathing problems, extreme fatigue, headaches, and even passing out. I was admitted to Roswell Park Cancer Institute in April 2022 extremely neutropenic and anemic. At 26 years old I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and began chemotherapy immediately.
Wendy
I am a 3-time Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivor. I underwent two stem cell transplants. The first transplant was my own stem cells, the second transplant was a donor transplant. My baby sister was my donor (she was a 6/6 match); I was very lucky. I underwent three years of radiation and chemotherapy and have been in remission now 12 years. Since then, I have gotten involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). I first started by creating a fashion show to raise money for LLS.
Jeremy
Lucy was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) when she was 32-weeks pregnant with our son Watson. She underwent two rounds of chemo while our son was inside her. After giving birth to our healthy, 4 lb., premature baby, she immediately went back to treatment with more rounds of chemo and a bone marrow transplant. After the transplant, she had to stay in 100 days of isolation where she could only see our newborn son through a glass window and wasn’t able to touch him due to her weakened immune system.
Armaan
In January 2014, Armaan celebrated his 5th birthday. He was tested for anemia a few days later at the urging of his pediatrician as he looked a little pale. Our world was rocked several hours later when the pediatrician called to notify us that Armaan had leukemia.
Armaan was immediately admitted into Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Stanford where he had a PICC line inserted into his arm and started his first round of chemotherapy. He is now in remission although he faces two more years of treatment to help ensure he doesn't relapse.
Thomas
I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on February 17, 2015 and, subsequently, spent 56 nights inpatient at St. Luke's Hospital in Milwaukee being treated by a truly wonderful nursing team on the 12th floor. On July 28, to celebrate my final four-day inpatient chemotherapy treatment session, I biked 19.5 miles from our home in Brookfield, WI to St. Luke's. I felt so good to overcome the bite of ALL and continue to do one of the things I love to do ... Biking.
Thomas
I was originally diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in November 2008. I went through one induction chemo and four rounds of consolidation chemo and then I was considered cancer free.
In February 2017, my worst fears were confirmed when I was diagnosed with AML for the second time. This time, it took two induction treatments of chemo to be declared in remission. I was then given a month off and went back to the hospital for more chemo and a bone marrow transplant. The last chemo nearly cost me my life. My kidneys and liver were shutting down.
Miranda
A little over a year ago, I finished a treatment that saved my life and gave me purpose. In October 2016, I was diagnosed with stage IV of Hodgkin lymphoma and was fortunate enough to receive medical care that allowed me to conquer my cancer journey.
Team In Training Participant
I joined Team In Training (TNT) in 2012, when I decided I wanted to train and run my first half marathon. Some of my friends had told me about their success with the program, and while I didn't have a personal connection to The Leukemia & Lymphoma (LLS), it was obviously a worthy cause and I felt I could handle the fundraising aspect.
I loved the experience; the training cycle, the coaches, the teammates, and even the fundraising. And they got me across that first finish line.
Nathan
Nathan is a young, T-cell lymphoma (TCL) survivor. He just rang the “end of treatment bell” a couple of months ago. His dad, Andy, is a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota board and a major donor to The LLS Children’s Initiative through their family foundation’s fundraising.
Freia
Freia was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at the age of 8. She and her family had just landed in Denmark for a family vacation when her parents noticed something wasn't right. After several trips to the hospital, they drove to Sweden where Freia’s grandparents live. It was there that her family heard those awful words, “Freia has cancer.”
Victor
Our father Victor was diagnosed in 1998 at the age of 30 with Burkitt non-Hodgkin lymphoma (BL). He was living in Los Angeles, California, at the time and had just gotten engaged to my mother, Debra. He began not feeling well and was diagnosed with a small mass in his stomach. He was told it was non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). He contacted The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), and in coordination with MD Anderson, he went to Texas, and a protocol was set in motion to fight this disease.
Melody
In November 2021, at just 24, Melody was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) after experiencing severe symptoms like profuse sweating, significant weight loss, and intense itching for the previous six months. After two biopsies and CT and PET scans, a tumor the size of a baseball growing quietly was discovered in her chest. She started treatment at City of Hope, enduring eight rounds of chemotherapy and six rounds of an immunotherapy trial. Her final treatment was on June 1, 2022, and she has been in remission for two years.
Michael
My Dad, Jay, was a distance bike rider and completed many amazing rides. On June 1, 2002, Dad did America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride (AMBBR). He always said this was the most beautiful ride and his favorite. Dad later contracted leukemia, and after fighting the good fight, he went home to Heaven in July 2013. He is still missed by many. Even though my Dad was one of my best friends, we did not ride together. I had other passions then. After Dad passed, I started cycling, and it is now my passion. I contacted some of Dad's riding friends and got a list of some of his rides.
Cancer Drug Therapy and Nutrition
Some drugs used to treat cancer can interact with food in ways that your treatment team will inform you about. When you begin a new treatment or start using a new drug, tell your doctor about any food allergies you have and ask:
Hudson
Hudson entered the world on March 31, 2017. This is the day my heart left my own chest and was beating outside of my body. My whole world was immediately consumed by this little, perfect bundle of cuteness. As far as cancer risk goes, he didn’t really have any. He had a healthy infancy and toddlerhood, barely needing a Band-Aid. This is the case for so many children. In November of 2018, Hudson became a big brother to Violet. I can remember being in the studio for Violet’s newborn photos when the photographer had Hudson lay beside Violet.
Rob
I have this thing inside me called chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). It’s a rare form of leukemia that affects the blood and bone marrow. Only 1,100 cases are diagnosed a year in the U.S. Four out of a million. I do not want to be that special.
Sally
In January 2021, my new life journey was about to begin. After doctor visits, bloodwork, testing, and finally complete shock, the diagnosis of cancer was given to me and my family, large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We were in disbelief but ready to fight. As my oncologist stated, “You have an aggressive form of cancer, we will treat you aggressively, and it is potentially curable.” Those last two words were what I needed to hear. Let the fight begin.
Riley
On March 28, 2018, my husband brought Riley, my sweet, spunky six-year-old, to the emergency room for unbearable leg and hip pain, so unbearable she could no longer walk. I had a baby at home who wouldn’t take a bottle, so I had to let Tim, her dad, take her in without me. We were expecting to hear that she had a bone fracture or maybe even that something was broken.
We were not prepared to hear that she had cancer.
Every single day more than 40 parents will hear those exact same words, “Your child has cancer.”
Stanley
Stanley was only 13 months old when he was diagnosed. He was a happy and healthy baby boy. Showing no previous symptoms or signs of sickness, Stanley was rushed to the ER one late Wednesday night because his parents, Joe and Krissi, thought he might have swallowed something. That was December 16, 2015. By 8p.m.
Nikolas
Hello, my name is Nikolas Davison. I am 14 years old (almost 15 in July) and have battled acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) for the past four years, but I am now done with chemo and getting my port removed soon.
In November 2016, I was misdiagnosed with appendicitis and was taken to the hospital by my father, where they took my blood and ran several tests. This was a painful experience to go through and I was very scared. After more tests, they knew that I had cancer. I was shocked, scared and horrified. I never thought in a million years that I would get cancer.
Don
Like so many individuals diagnosed with blood cancer, I had zero thought that I might be ill, much less with a disease that could take my life.
I had signs and symptoms that something wasn’t quite right in my body, annoying things like shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and fatigue. However, nothing registered in my head until after my diagnosis.
It’s September 2005, and I am pretty much invincible, bulletproof! I could, in fact, leap tall buildings in a single bound! Yes, in my mind I was Superman!