Search Results
Teresa
I was diagnosed in 2009 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Upon diagnosis, perhaps the greatest shock was becoming aware that I knew so little about cancer, so little about the medical system, and how one needs to go about a process of self-education regarding their disease.
My diagnosis occurred at the Simon Cancer Center, a part of the Indiana University Health System. I was fortunate to have a neighbor who is a nurse practitioner at this cancer center. She intervened when she found out that a routine shoulder MRI revealed multiple enlarged lymph nodes.
Ariel
I was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) on January 24, 2019. I hadn’t been feeling well for a while. I was having very odd symptoms. For example, I was having joint pains, I kept hearing this whooshing noise, my gums were bleeding, and the biggest symptom was I would get out of breath so easily. Walking up the steps of my apartment building felt like running a marathon. I went to an urgent care clinic and described these symptoms, and the doctor gave me an antibiotic and sent me home. I’ll never forget his face before he discharged me. I could see he was unsure.
Amanda
I am now a two-time acute myeloid leukemia (AML) survivor. When I was diagnosed with AML, it was an absolute complete shock. At the time of my diagnosis, I was a stay-at-home mom to my then three-year-old son. In a matter of a few hours and three words, “You have cancer,” my life completely turned upside down.
Chloe
At the age of 13, I became the youngest stem cell donor at Johns Hopkins Hospital. At 15, I am a Student Visionary of the Year in the 2024 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) campaign. LLS has become an integral part of my life over the past two years. In the spring of 2022, the peaceful life of our family was shattered by my mom’s diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Learning that a stem cell transplant was the only cure, I volunteered to donate my bone marrow to her.
Follow-Up Care
Follow-up medical care is important for every Hodgkin lymphoma patient. Follow-up care helps the doctor monitor you to see if disease has recurred or relapsed, or to see if more treatment is needed. Talk to your doctor about how often to have follow-up visits and what laboratory tests, scans, or other imaging you need. It is important to get a record of your cancer treatment including the drugs you received so that your doctor can follow up on specific long-term effects that may be associated with your treatment.
Jane
In 2008, I retired from teaching art, mostly because I was feeling tired all the time and didn’t want the program I was running to suffer because I couldn’t keep up. I figured it was old age. I was enjoying my first full year of retirement when I woke up with a backache. After two months of tests, in July 2010, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a treatable but not yet curable blood cancer in the plasma cells of the bone marrow.
Suzanne
In January 2021, I received my diagnosis after five months of multiple doctor visits, blood work, and biopsies. I had no common symptoms such as night sweats or fatigue, just a small lump behind my ear. It was removed, and the pathology came back as non-cancerous. About six or so weeks later, another lump showed up. I decided to switch doctors, and they also didn't feel it was cancer based on my chart. But after they removed it, the pathology shared a much different story.
Martin
In February of 2020, at 32 years old, Martin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Soon after being diagnosed, the COVID pandemic struck the world, and Martin was laid off from his job along with hundreds of others working for the major airline Avianca. With this, he lost his income and health insurance.
Micah
My wife was diagnosed with Pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in June of 2018. For nine months I watched her battle her cancer and her treatments. I learned so much about what families with a cancer patient go through ― the uncertainty, the anxiety, and many protocols and precautions to keep your loved one safe. It was a very scary time for us, full of unknowns. But we lived each day at a time. The uncertainty brought us closer together and allowed us to live every moment with gratitude. My wife was in full remission before the end of the year, and we had so much to celebrate!
Carol
Meet carol. hodgkin survivor. indiana. Carol was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2010. After being a stay-at-home mom, she went back to school to get her teaching degree and found out she had a grapefruit size tumor in her chest when she was one week away from finishing her student teaching. She put off finding a teaching job for a year while going through six months of chemotherapy. She was able to work as a learning specialist while going through her treatments as she had a very supportive principal.
Dana
I was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in January 2018. I was lucky enough to get into City of Hope which is about 25 minutes from my house. I received all my treatment there. The first treatment was R-CHOP chemotherapy which required me to be in the hospital three to five days every three weeks for six months. I relapsed after six months and did an autologous bone marrow transplant in March of 2019. After about eight months, I relapsed again and prepared for an unrelated donor transplant.
Natalie
In December 1986, a week after my 15th birthday, I was diagnosed with acute undifferentiated leukemia (AUL) after having unclassifiable arthritis for two years. They now believe that I had pre-leukemic arthritis. So, when I was diagnosed, it was a blessing and a curse. It was a curse given how it turned my life upside down. I was now battling for my life and having to deal with the side effects of the treatment. It was a blessing because now I finally had a diagnosis, and there was a treatment that could be given to finally cure my condition.
Gena
I am 28 years old and a two-time cancer survivor. My life has come full circle many times, and I am here to share my story to inspire and help others to heal themselves.
My story begins when I was 3½ years old. I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). At the time, I was treated at Schneider's Children's Hospital, now Cohen's Children's Medical Center. This was a long and tough battle with rounds of chemotherapy. I almost did not make it. Thank God I had the most loving support system which helped me get through the battle.
Valerie
I was a nurse prior to getting diagnosed with cancer. When I was working I wondered to myself, how are my patients so strong laying in that hospital bed? Little did I know I was going to be one. At age 24, back in 2013, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Months before I just had a small lump on my neck and thought it would go away, but I decided to check out what was going on.
Thomas/TJ
This picture is of my brother and my son. Both fought valiantly from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and Hodgkin's lymphoma respectively.
It started in 2009 when my son, Thomas came home from his freshman year in college. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and was treated right away. He went through the regular protocol which lead to the next level and then trial drugs, radiation, and autonomous stem cell transplant.
Debra
In October 2011, while at work, I fell after attempting to sit on a chair, and I went to the emergency for x-rays. As soon as the technician began the process, he entered the room to ask if I had scoliosis. I replied, "no" and he proceeded with the exam.
Jean-Paul
This is the fourth anniversary of Jean-Paul being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We had just gotten back from San Francisco, and Jean-Paul got scratched by Oskar. We thought we would go to the emergency room to get an antibiotic shot and maybe a tetanus shot and then go to dinner. Instead, we spoke to the doctor, and 1.5 hours later the doctor had already reached Jean-Paul’s oncologist (this is Jean-Paul’s second diagnosis of cancer, the first was testicular cancer in 2016). They set him up to start chemo the next day. We were shocked and did not believe it.
Mya
It was the end of my senior year in high school, and I was thrilled to be admitted into NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts to achieve my double bachelor's. I worked hard. Despite the many restrictions of the pandemic, I volunteered, performed virtually, and worked two jobs all in preparation for a bigger life.
Elisa
My story begins in 1972 as a young, two-year-old child in a third-world country in Central America known as El Salvador. As a child, I recall the sunny days running around while being surrounded by a loving family. Nine months later, this would change as I began to feel weak and struggled to walk the streets in my neighborhood. As my condition became worse, my grandmother took me to the public hospital where I was seen by the oncologist who diagnosed me with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Tammy
In February 2023, I developed a cough that would not go away. I went to the doctor twice. Both times I was told it was “long COVID,” and it would eventually go away. I continued with my life as normal and even went on a week-long trip to New York in April where I did a live Peloton Cycle class to celebrate my 400th ride (a milestone and dream come true for me). By the time I got home from New York, I was in bad shape. The cough had progressed, and daily activities were difficult.
Carlos
In 2019, I was diagnosed with stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a life-altering moment that set me on a challenging path. I endured rigorous chemotherapy treatments, followed by a life-saving transplant in 2020. Afterward, I underwent 18 additional rounds of maintenance therapy. Today, I am proud to say I've been in remission for nearly five years.
Alec and Aden
Can you imagine being a single mom by circumstances out of her control, navigating uncontrollable circumstances, as her identical twins display remarkable fortitude in the face of cancer, diagnosed three years apart? Successful at a well-paying job that afforded her the ability to support the boys and four other siblings in grade school. Managing life with six children would be challenging alone! No help from the children's father or his family, and her mother passed away years ago.