Search Results
Jennifer
In 1985, 10-year-old Jennifer took to the stage to accept The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) “Employee of the Year” award for her mother, Teresa McVay, who had lost her battle against chronic myelogenous leukemia earlier that year. That was Jennifer’s first time speaking on stage, but it would not be her last. Driven by her mother’s traumatic passing, Jennifer has been a public speaker on Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs), sharing her own experience with loss in order to bring awareness to the cause.
Lisa
On February 3, 2020, my life changed forever. My husband and I welcomed our first child, a baby girl named Quinn. But, three weeks after she was born, I started to not feel the best.
On Friday, March 13, 2020, the day of the COVID-19 shutdown, my life changed forever again. After two weeks of having fevers and night sweats and being tested for everything but cancer, I went in for scans. Two hours after I had my scans, I got the call that nobody wanted to hear. I had cancer.
Courtney
In March 2022, I began experiencing unusual symptoms of fatigue, nausea, persistent infections, and bloody noses and gums, but I didn’t think much of it. Following a lucky-timed appointment with my primary care doctor and multiple blood tests, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Cancer isn’t something an otherwise “healthy” 27-year-old thinks will come out of a doctor’s mouth.
Tim
On March 10, 2015 I reached another milestone and turned 60 years young. I have been blessed with good health and the ability to swim, bike, and run. For over a decade I have been involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as a board member and participant in more than a dozen fundraising triathlons/marathons for Team In Training events all over the world. My efforts will continue until cures for blood-related cancers are realized.
Brenda
A scratchy throat that became a bronchial infection in May 2012 was the first sign Brenda had that anything was wrong. She tried to tough it out but collapsed while taking her long-awaited test for a black belt in karate. Later that same day she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the same disease that had taken her brother 17 years earlier.
Erika
I am a 36-year-old cancer survivor. In February 2014, I found a suspect lump and had become unusually tired. I was a career-driven single mother of a very active 10-year-old boy, so when I say unusually tired it was time to call the doctor. Within days I was thrown into the crazy and often times confusing world of hospital appointments and insurance company battles for various procedures and surgical biopsies. We became pros at the waiting game.
Virginia
I have been living with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) since August 6, 1997. The way I see it, I’m alive today because of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). The pill I take each day that keeps my leukemia in remission exists today much because of research grants awarded to Brian Druker, M.D., PhD., of Oregon Health & Science University.
Dorothy
In the fall of 2002, I had a missed call and a “call me when you’re out of class” text from my Dad. I was a sophomore at the University of Georgia when I heard, “Honey, I have cancer. Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM).” So, I took a deep breath and asked, “Okay, so what’s next? Surgery? Radiation? Chemo?” “Nothing, we wait until it gets bad enough for treatment.”
Caregiver Support
Am I A Caregiver?If you’re providing regular assistance, you are a caregiver. Your loved one may only need support occasionally, or your loved one may need constant care. The kind of support needed will be different for each person and may also change over time. But if you're consistently providing care, you are a caregiver.
Here are just a few examples of caregiver tasks:
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!
Alesia
In November 2021, I experienced my first panic attack while at work. I went to the urgent care clinic, and they tested me and said I was good and might be experiencing anxiety. At that time, being a teacher in my school was hard and overwhelming, and I started taking anxiety medication. Later on in the school year, I continued to experience COVID-like symptoms but was always negative. I did eventually get COVID, but I was still healthy on paper. While all of this was going on, I was also encountering fatigue that I couldn't explain and blamed it on my job.
Jerome
Most importantly, the doctors, nurses, and researchers are true angles; wouldn’t be here without them. Dedicating their lives to saving others’, I am forever thankful. Not to mention the secretaries, volunteers, and administrators who are the lubrication to the operation, thank God.
It has been a while, but here’s the summary: Diagnosed with ALL in Oct. of 1986, remission shortly after in Dec. of 1986, then 2.5 years of chemotherapy and a few weeks of radiation therapy. It all changed my life... for the better.
Alessandra
At the age of 14 I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. The doctors only gave me a 25 percent chance to live. I still remember the day I walked into the ER with my mom to get my CT scan done. Post exam, the doctor muttered,“You have cancer, but don’t worry just yet. The test tomorrow will let us know more.” Before I knew it, the next day, I found myself staring at the operating room ceiling, numb to the thought that it was all too real. Hours of surgery later, we found out the cancer had spread through my neck, entire chest and lungs.
Greg
Today I am a proud dad, avid skier, business owner and husband. For a moment though, let’s flash back to college. I wasn’t feeling well but I needed to take one last final just before winter break. After the final, I went to the school clinic and the next thing I knew it was January and I was in a hospital bed in Denver.
I was 19 years old and had been flown in a helicopter from my college town of Durango, CO to Denver. I had been in an induced coma for the last three and a half weeks. I woke up unable to speak or move my arms, legs - I couldn’t even lift a finger.
Laraine
November 21st is Family Volunteer Day. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) encourages you to volunteer as a family today. Whatever you choose to do, do it together. Some ideas include: take a few minutes to call a friend, neighbor or colleague; cook a meal together and drop it at the doorstep of someone in need; rake a neighbor’s yard or put a book in a neighborhood lending library.
To honor this day, we are sharing the story about a family faced with a cancer diagnosis, who banded together when the future seemed so unclear.
Kaitlin
I moved to Chicago in May 2022. I had recently finished my joint PhD in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Michigan and was offered a job as a People Analytics Researcher at Google. I loved the city and enjoyed frequent runs and cycling rides along Lake Shore Drive. In mid-July, I started noticing some symptoms that concerned me ― difficulty breathing when I was exercising, intense chest and back pain, spider veins on my chest, puffiness in my face, and fatigue.
Fundraise for LLS
Fundraise for LLS
Make an impact in the fight to cure cancer.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is a global leader in the fight against cancer. LLS does more to advance science and support patients than any other cancer organization.
Join the fight against cancer by participating in one of our fundraising events: Light The Night, Team In Training, Big Climb, Visionaries of The Year, Student Visionaries of The Year, Ski, Scenic Shore, USA BMX, and more.
Miriam
My name is Miriam Hernandez, and I have been a long-time volunteer with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). I first started volunteering in 2010 working with the LLS Greater Los Angeles Region and their Patient Services Team to help with outreach into the Latino community in Los Angeles. I worked on an education program about myths and misconceptions about blood cancers done in the form of a “bingo” style game.
Samantha
In February 2023, I was on top of the world. I turned 27 years old, I was training for a new position at my dream company, I spent an amazing weekend in Nashville with girlfriends, and had just touched down from Mexico after spending a fantastic weekend with one of my best friends. Everything felt right ― for the most part. While this month was filled with love, laughter, and good times, it was also filled with night sweats, stomach pains, and overall feelings of illness.
James
I was diagnosed with stage 3 follicular lymphoma (FL), a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), at the end of 2017, and our world was turned upside down. I lived a pretty healthy lifestyle, stayed active, and ate well. I never thought I would be diagnosed with cancer until I received the phone call from my hematologist/oncologist late on a Friday night. My body went numb as I listened to the diagnosis and the aggressive treatment plan around the corner.
