Search Results
Delena
I was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) at the age of two in 1981. I was sent to Riley Hospital for Children for assessment and to create a treatment plan. At the time of my diagnosis, my mom was a single mother of two young daughters. My father passed away from Ewing sarcoma in April 1979. I was eight months old, and my sister was four when he passed.
Tim
It was December 2006. I was 28 years old, and I discovered some purple bruises on my leg. I had never seen anything like these on my body before, so I went to my primary care physician. He took some bloodwork, then called me to say I needed to go to the hospital at once. My parents’ friend drove me and my parents to the hospital, and I ended up staying at the hospital for four days.
Amanda
Amanda was a Woman of the Year candidate this past spring, raising over $186,000 for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
She is a multiple myeloma (MM) survivor and just received the newly approved for MM, CAR-T cell treatment, 5 days before the fundraising campaign finale.
LLS first met Amanda when she was pushed through the front doors of the office in her local region, in a wheelchair.
Matthew
Matthew was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma and Leukemia in November 2008 at just two years old. After long and difficult chemotherapy treatments, Matthew achieved remission. He is now part of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia survivorship program. Matthew finds time for his hobbies like making crafts and running make-believe restaurants and stores. He also stays busy playing baseball, swimming, and basketball. Matthew also enjoys looking for treasure in his backyard. When he grows up, Matthew wants to be a teacher or a restaurant owner because he loves people.
Gisenia
In October 2015, Gisenia Reyes heard the words "You have cancer." Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive type of blood cancer. She immediately underwent chemotherapy treatment to save her life.
Gisenia attained remission status, however, she still had a mutation in her blood work, which could cause her to relapse.
Carson
In October 2016, after a few months of asymptomatic fevers, joint pain, and extreme irritability Carson was admitted to the University of Virginia Children's Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia where she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Bonnie
My dad, Larry Vogl, was diagnosed with leukemia out of the blue in November 2014. In the picture, he is with my three boys and my nephew (his four grandsons). They are the reason for the fight!
I am also the oldest of six kids, and my dad has always done and will always do anything for us - putting his kids first.
He is my inspiration for running, yet, my journey seems to pale in comparison to his. I look forward to sharing the Team In Training miles with my youngest sister Jamie, and representing our whole family in honor of our dad.
Shameel
Telling a child that they have cancer and explaining what that means is one of the most difficult conversations you can have with your child.
Shameel was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at age 7. As a mother, I couldn't imagine my young, courageous boy, who appeared happy and healthy, not being able to do stuff like tennis, ice skating, piano, and swimming, which he enjoyed and had mastered. It was very shocking to me, and I was in denial for almost a month as cancer does not run in our family.
Lashelle
In 2019, knots started to appear on my neck and jawline. My face was also massively swollen. I was unrecognizable. I had difficulty breathing, and major parts of my body were swollen as well. After several tests and two surgeries, I was unexpectedly diagnosed with non-Hodgkin T-cell lymphoma (NHL). I was told that if the cancer had stages, I was considered stage 4.
Side Effects
Cancer therapy for hairy cell leukemia can sometimes produce side effects. For most patients, treatment side effects are temporary and go away once therapy ends. For other patients, side effects can be more severe, sometimes requiring hospitalization.
Before you undergo treatment, talk with your doctor about potential side effects. Drugs and other therapies can prevent or manage many side effects.
Ellie
Because she did not have symptoms, Ellie's diagnosis of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) at age four was incredibly shocking. Just one month after diagnosis, she was discharged from the hospital, already in remission. She responded extremely well to chemotherapy and very rarely felt sick. Ellie is now a healthy, very active 11 year old and a competitive gymnast, practicing 20 hours a week. She loves to play softball, hang with her friends, and go to the beach. Ellie is thankful to everyone who participates in the Light The Night Walk and helps kids like her fight cancer.
Halimeh
On June 3, 2014, I went to my local hospital for blood work after noticing unexplained bruising and nose bleed. That day changed my life forever.
John
I've been a cancer survivor since my bone marrow transplant at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance in 2004. I have minimal side effects and continue doing what I love -- spending time with family and friends, cycling, and teaching high school photography and video production. One year after my transplant I did my first Team In Training event, a century ride in Lake Tahoe. I continued to do four more events. My high school video students put on a film festival every year to support the Northwest Chapter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Diane
Mary was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in May 2016. After a few rounds of chemotherapy that were ineffective in fighting the AML, she was transferred to a hospital specializing in AML research and has been participating in a medical trial.
This involved 75 hours of high intensity chemotherapy. She then spent 54 days in the hospital attached to an IV cart.
Her latest check-up revealed a few "stragglers" that need to be eliminated before she can proceed to transplant.
Emma
My dad, Panos, was diagnosed with kidney cancer when I was in the fourth grade. His cancer progressed very fast, and he passed away in 2019. My mom, Tricia, was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) shortly after. She has had many doctor appointments during this time, and I am so excited to be able to support her through it all and help raise awareness! I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by cancer, growing up visiting my grandma and dad in the hospital at a young age, and I am hoping to make a change by raising money for research and more.
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.
Long-Term and Late Effects of Treatment
Some side effects of cancer treatment, such as fatigue, can linger for months or years after therapy. Some medical conditions like heart disease and other cancers may not appear until years after treatment ends.
Stem Cell Transplantation
For some patients who are in remission and can tolerate intensive chemotherapy, the doctor may recommend stem cell transplantation during the consolidation phase of chemotherapy.
Childhood and Young Adult Resources
On this Page:
Resources for Children, Young Adults and ParentsOne-on-One Support
Leo
Five-year-old Leo was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) in June 2019. His parents had noticed bruising on his legs, petechiae around his eyes, fatigue, and shortness of breath, but because the symptoms didn’t present all at once, they didn’t think it was anything serious. Thankfully, on a Friday afternoon, Leo was due for a check-up where the nurse noticed the bruising on his legs and ordered a blood test.
Jonathan
This story is memory of my late fiancé, Jonathan Bentley, who passed away from acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) at the age of 33 after a week-long battle. Jon was a truly amazing person; the type that you wish everyone could meet once in their lifetime. Although he is now gone, I wish to honor his beautiful spirit by sharing a little bit about him.
Jay
Nana’s Heroes was started to honor Lois “Nana” Bowen. Jay, Nana’s grandson, was 13 when he found out she was sick. Around ninth grade, he wanted to do something about it. Although he couldn’t fix her all up or make her all better, he could help raise money to help find a cure for the awful disease that she had.
Blake
Blake was recently diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and is now in interim maintenance.
It all started with unexpected wrist and leg pain that turned into three years worth of treatments and procedures. We were told he was anemic so we took him in for iron supplements. He then got very constipated and had terrible side and tummy pains, which led us back into the ER. They gave us laxatives and sent us home.