Search Results

Laniya

I was truly blessed to be introduced to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by workers from Duquesne Light Company as well as my daughter, Ebony Jennings who works as a customer service representative for Duquesne Light Company in Pittsburgh PA. First, I must boast about my granddaughter, Laniya S. White, because she’s a TRUE fighter and never allowed lymphoma to define her.

Louis

Louis had been on a journey to achieve greater health. For 10 months, he had been on a healthy diet and exercise program and had lost 80 pounds. His doctors were pleased and he was able to stop taking most medications he was on.  However when he went for an annual physical he was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) at only the age of 33.

Carley

Hi, my name is Carley and I am an angel.  I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 1995 and I died in 1996. I was 3 ½ years old when I died and I tried so hard to live, but AML was just so terrible and there weren’t a lot treatments back then. My parents were so sad when I went to heaven. I’m still 3 ½ years old because up here in heaven we stay the same age and none of us are sick anymore. It’s truly wonderful up here, but there are still way too many of you coming up here from earth because of AML.

Matthew

In September, 2012, Dr. Matthew Levine noticed that his regular exercise routine and rotations in the ER were more physically draining than usual. When Dr. Levine realized he could no longer run a mile like he used to with ease, he contacted his physician.

In the interim, Dr. Levine began developing bruises on his body and a throat infection. He knew that after the testing, the diagnosis would not be good. On Monday, September 17, 2012. Dr. Levine learned he had acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Michael

My story is not so unlike many others. In May 2005, just two months after I retired, I was looking forward to the start of a terrific period of my life spending time with my family, traveling, relaxation and golf That's when I got that dreaded call: “Mr. Blackman, you need to come into my office. We need to talk.”

Ashley

I had acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in 2013. I went in to have surgery to remove all four of my wisdom teeth and never stopped bleeding after surgery. The doctor called those miracle teeth instead of wisdom teeth because that is how we found out I had leukemia and they saved my life.

The first few weeks were very difficult in the hospital and my life was literally turned upside down in the blink of an eye. I was a single mom of two young daughters and it was so hard for them to understand how I was suddenly so sick.

Russ

(As told by Russ Parker’s wife Karen A. Parker) In the fall of 2004, Russ was looking forward to a surfing trip to Fiji with his son Rusty and a group of good friends.  He was a real estate developer, surfer, soccer coach, swimmer and runner.

Jared

At 31, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). As my career was finally taking off as a celebrity makeup artist and I finally felt “grown-up,” it came to a screeching halt. My life became cancer and getting better. Although I struggled with the isolation, I connected with many other patients via social media.

Daniel

My children and I lost their mother and my wife in March 2008, six WEEKS after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). She was 41 years old. Our children were teenagers. There are no words to describe the pain and grief the three of us went through, a pain that I know we share with others who have lost a loved one through ANY form of cancer. We must rise up together and DEFEAT all forms of cancer. I urge you to help in any way you can!

Kiersten

When I was 38 weeks pregnant, I found a lump on my neck. Doctors couldn't test anything until after my son was born.

In February of 2015, my happy and healthy baby boy, Elliot was born. Just one month later, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. I started chemotherapy in April and after 12 rounds, there was no trace of cancer found in my body.

Now I'm ready to enjoy raising my first child without going through chemotherapy while giving back to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

Shayne

Shayne was diagnosed with T-cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia in May 2005 when he was just 18 months old. He endured 42 months of chemotherapy, multiple blood transfusions and several surgeries before achieving remission. Today, Shayne is 10 years old, in the fourth grade and a honor roll student. He is doing great and remains in remission. Shayne loves school and plays basketball and baseball. He also participates in track and field, where he throws both the shot put and javelin. 

Robert

I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when I was 18 years old the summer before I was supposed to start college. Instead, I spent six months receiving treatment on a clinical trial at CHOP. I was fortunate to have access to outstanding, cutting-edge cancer care and have a good outcome. This experience inspired me to pursue a career in medicine. I’m now a physician-scientist finishing my oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institution. I’m passionate about advancing the field of oncology through research and advocacy.

Leigh

In August 2019, I developed pneumonia for the third time in two years. I had been finding that my ability to fight off illness was not as good as it used to be. Once it got to the point that I was having problems breathing, I decided to go to urgent care. Two years prior, I had been hospitalized for pneumonia, and I wasn’t looking forward to it happening again. I Googled the nearest urgent care, and it was closed. There was only one nearby that was open, but I had never been before.

Kate

On May 17, 2018, our family was thrown into the world of blood cancer. Our family's patriarch, our bonus dad, and our beloved "Candy Boy," as he was affectionately nicknamed by his youngest daughter, found out that he was in the aggressive stages of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Rob

My blood cancer story started in 1987 when I was diagnosed and treated for testicular cancer with surgery and chemotherapy. As I progressed to the end of the chemo regimen, my blood counts would not return to normal. A bone marrow biopsy showed that I had developed treatment-related acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as a result of the chemotherapy for the testicular cancer.

Justin

In March 2012, when Justin was in the sixth grade, he started to rapidly lose weight, was experiencing extreme exhaustion and night sweats. After multiple visits to the doctor but no answers, his parents finally took him to the hospital for more intensive testing, including a bone marrow biopsy. One day later they received the shocking diagnosis: acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Side Effects

The side effects of treatment for essential thrombocythemia (ET) will depend on many factors, including the type of treatment and dosage, the age of the patient and coexisting medical conditions.

Management of side effects is important. Patients should discuss any concerns about side effects with their doctor. Most side effects are temporary and resolve when treatment is completed

Other Disease Studies

Another type of study that blood cancer patients and their relatives can participate in is a nontherapeutic study. Nontherapeutic studies aren't considered clinical trials because they don't involve the study of new diagnostics or treatments for diseases. Instead, they're developed to gain a better understanding of disease-incidence patterns or the consequences of specific treatments for a specific disease.

In all cases, you should be asked to sign a consent form that defines the study's purpose and what's expected from the participants.

Stem Cell Transplantation

The goal of stem cell transplantation is to cure the patient’s cancer by destroying the cancer cells in the bone marrow with high doses of chemotherapy and then replacing them with new, healthy blood-forming stem cells. The healthy blood stem cells will grow and multiply forming new bone marrow and blood cells. There are two main types of stem cell transplantation. They are

Diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis of the type of leukemia is important. The exact diagnosis helps the doctor to

• Estimate how the disease will progress
• Determine the appropriate treatment

After your doctor or clinician takes your blood, he or she sends it to a lab for a complete blood count (CBC), which shows the number of red cells, white cells and platelets in your blood. 

Brauer

Being a recipient of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors is allowing me to continue my education and pursue the life cancer tried to take away from me. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) my freshman year of high school, and one of my biggest fears while in treatment was if I was going to be able to attend college still. I had been dreaming of attending Clemson University and having all the college experiences. I am grateful for the opportunities LLS has given me and the chance to not just survive but thrive after cancer.

Grace

In 2008, my three year old daughter, Grace, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at her three year old doctor (check up) appointment. Grace was categorized as a high-risk case of ALL and underwent two full treatment regimens of chemotherapy spanning over two full years. Grace is now 16 and living a full, energetic life. She has been deemed cured and in the past year was released from her regular oncology checkups. I’ll be participating in her honor. 

Written by a family member

Michael

I am a Acute Myeloid Leukemia survivor. I was diagnosed on memorial day of 2018 and thats where my story began. I failed to reach remission on induction chemotherapy but the next round of chemo I received called FLAGIDA put me in remission.

I then was transferred to duke for a stem cell transplant. My first transplant was unsuccessful and my mother stepped in to donate her cells. This second transplant put me in remission and now I'm back doing what I love which is CrossFit and Olympic weightlifting. I also am coaching at my local crossfit gym.

Loriana

In January 2014, award-winning health and fitness journalist, Loriana Hernandez-Aldama was shocked to learn that she had acute myeloid leukemia (AML). She received the diagnosis from her fertility doctor, who she had seen just days before to do a precautionary blood test for an embryo transfer. Instead of planning for a new baby, Loriana had to begin treatment for cancer.

Shortly after her diagnosis, Loriana said goodbye to her two-year-old son and boarded a plane to another state to begin chemotherapy.

Joseph

On May 1, 2021, my son Joseph was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and so our journey began. We were blessed with so much love and support throughout his treatment that we decided to raise money for those less fortunate. We joined The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and Light The Night (LNT) and raised over $17,000. We had over 100 family and friends walking with us, and it was an amazing experience that we will continue to do. Joseph and I are so proud to be part of this organization. Written by family member.