Search Results

Paige

On September 8, 2020, my youngest baby Paige was diagnosed with high-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (HR B-cell ALL) at Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C. This diagnosis came after two weeks of visually noticing a change in Paige's behavior. By that point, she had been suffering from a high fever (102-104°) for two weeks after being misdiagnosed by Patient First Urgent Care. She had extreme fatigue, complaints of sore muscles, and literally not wanting to do anything. But this discovery happened by chance.

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.

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.

older white man wearing a blue jacket pink shirt and blue pink and purple tie

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.

Claire

In February 2019, our daughter, Claire, was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) just three short months after we celebrated her second birthday. We noticed a few discolored bumps on her body and assumed it was just a reaction to a new soap I had purchased, but then they began to pop up on other parts of her body.

Long-Term and Late Effects of Treatment

While treatments for ALL have led to increased survival rates, some may cause significant long-term or late effects. Long-term effects of cancer treatment are medical problems that last for months or years after treatment ends. Late effects are medical problems that do not appear until years, or even possibly decades, after treatment ends.

The long-term and late effects of childhood ALL treatment can include:

Side Effects

Therapy for CLL sometimes produces side effects. Side effects from kinase inhibitor drugs and monoclonal antibody therapy are generally milder than side effects from chemotherapy.

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. Some patients never have side effects.

Stem Cell Transplantation

For certain patients with CML, allogeneic stem cell transplantation (the infusion of donor stem cells into a patient) is their best treatment option. However, this type of transplant can cause serious or even life-threatening complications and side effects. In addition, it is often not a good option for older patients or for patients who have other health problems.

Jan

After returning from a diving trip to Cyprus in November 2021, I started having headaches and sweating at night. Just two weeks later, I was diagnosed with acute leukemia and was immediately hospitalized. Two days later, I had my first round of chemotherapy as my case was pretty serious. Chemotherapy became a big part of my everyday life for the next three months.

After one week with no chemo, I started getting my life back, just partially. I made it thanks to amazing doctors, nurses, inner strength, positivity, and healthy food. Yoga breathing helped a lot too.

Lisa

I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin follicular lymphoma in December 1995 after finding a lump in my neck. My son had just turned 7 years old and I was so afraid I would not be around to see him grow up.

Today, my son is almost 27. I have gone though many battles with this illness throughout my 20-year fight. I've taken pills, I've had chemotherapy and last year I finished radiation. I currently have two tumors but I am on a "watch and wait" protocol. No symptoms and no treatments.

Dr. Carroll

William Carroll, M.D., is the leader of a five-year LLS Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) grant.

Thomas

I was declared to be in remission from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on Sept 1, 2015. To celebrate one year of remission, I biked from Waukesha, WI to Port Washington, WI, a total of 104 miles round trip.

This photo is from the deck of Smith Brothers in Port Washington, the half way point of the ride. I was joined by one of my caregivers, Maria, of St. Luke's for the first 25 miles of the ride. After the initial round of chemo in 2015, I couldn't even bike 2 miles.

older white man with beard and mustache wearing sunglasses a strawhat and blue t-shirt

John

I have been battling acute myeloid leukemia (AML) since October 24, 2023. I am an outpatient at Roswell Park currently. I spent over three to four months inpatient, and I had a bone marrow transplant on February 9, 2024.

Johanna

On April 5, 2019, my life changed forever. What started as a simple ER visit for some light chest pain turned into a two-and-a-half-year battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). During treatment, I had many ups and downs but pushed myself through online courses at my university. One of the many things that brought me joy during this time was how much support I had from friends, family, and even complete strangers. My university held a Light The Night (LTN) event, and it was amazing seeing all the support from my community.

Molly

I did this Facebook challenge in memory of my father. He died of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) just after being diagnosed three months prior. He died on my wedding anniversary. I took care of him until the end. I am a nurse, and it made it much easier to care for him. He meant the world to me.

He loved doing anything outside. Fishing and hunting were his favorites. He was a hall-of-fame bowler, loved to golf, and enjoyed cooking on the grill. His laugh was contagious. I miss him so much every day.

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.

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.

Tatijane

On February 19, 2021, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), both B and T cells, and given six to eight weeks to live. I was 24 years old. I was diagnosed alone in the ER because of COVID-19 protocols and unable to see my family and friends in person for a week or two because of testing, port placements, and biopsies. It was like an earthquake that shook up my life as well as all my loved ones’ lives, and all I wanted was to hug my mom.

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.”

Robert

My story starts in March 1983. I was lucky to have been chosen to attend Squadron Officer School in residence at Maxwell, AFB, Alabama. I was, I thought, a healthy 28-year-old and newly married with a promotion to captain the following month. Then, a worrying symptom suddenly occurred. Everything was going dark briefly under physical exertion. I shrugged it off as heat exhaustion until just climbing one flight of stairs resulted in a blackout without unconsciousness. It was then I decided to drive home for the weekend to advise my wife and decide my course of action.

Search Results

Paige

Lila

Gabriele

Hudson

Rob

Claire

Long-Term and Late Effects of Treatment

Side Effects

Stem Cell Transplantation

Jan

Lisa

Dr. Carroll

Thomas

John

Johanna

Molly

Nikolas

Stanley

Tatijane

Sally

Riley

Robert

Follow-Up Care

Follow-Up Care

Follow-Up Care