Search Results

Richard

People tend to think that cancer will never affect them. I know, because I was once one of those people. Growing up, I never knew of anyone that had cancer. Then, in 2005, my father-in-law contracted a brain tumor; the worst type. I remember feeling a sort of, panicky feeling in the beginning as we were told he had three to six months  to live. However, since day one, he had the best outlook on life and he lived until 2008. He is just one of my hero’s.

Mackenzie

At nine years old I received the devastating news that I had leukemia. I didn’t know exactly what this meant and little did I know that it meant years of treatment, hair loss, loss of friends, and learning who I was meant to be. I was a patient at St. Jude and received treatments for two and a half years. I lost my hair, I had SVTs, I had seizures, and everything that could happen did happen. I was so sick throughout my entire treatment, and I didn’t get to do very much. I was in the hospital most of the time, and very seldom was I had home or not in patient.

Sarah

In August of 2014, after a routine medical procedure, doctors suspected that Sarah may have a lymphoma type cancer. Soon thereafter, with her husband by her side, doctors confirmed that Sarah indeed had cancer, stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma.

Brianna

My name is Brianna Ciambra I live in New York and this is my story. When I was eleven, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I went through two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy which consisted of IV meds, spinal taps, steroids etc. I lost my hair during the chemo, which was very hard. I also developed a condition called Avascular necrosis. Avascular necrosis is bone loss in the joints, since 2009 I have had full bilateral hip and shoulder replacements. I also had my right knee fully replaced and two spinal surgeries.

Douglas

In December 2007 my life completely changed. I had a biopsy done just four days before Christmas, and my oncologist called me on Christmas Day to tell me that I needed to come in and see him after the holidays to discuss my pathology report. I was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma. I endured five surgeries in just four weeks and spent my 36th birthday in the hospital. I never once thought that cancer was going to beat me. My mindset was that I had cancer, but it did not have me.

Max

My son Max was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma in May 2017, just 10 days before his 19th birthday. He discovered a lump under his chin a few months before, and in April he noticed it had grown. After we took him to get it checked out and learned the devastating news, we were in complete shock. He had no other signs of anything else being wrong.

Bella

Looking back at when this journey started, it kind of feels unreal. Life can change in an instant. For us, that moment was on September 2, 2016. Bella had been having fevers on and off for two months with no other symptoms and medicine was barely keeping them down. We took her to the doctor's office and were told it was probably just a virus.

Kristen

I was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) when I was 21 years old. It was the summer going into my senior year of college, and I had just returned home from a semester abroad. I assumed the stomachaches I was experiencing were because of the food and drinks I had while enjoying my time in Europe. I was actually told I had H. pylori and started antibiotics that were supposed to alleviate the stomach pains. But then a lump on my neck appeared, and I thought the worst.

Steve

I was diagnosed with stage 4 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2015. It is not known if Humira (a drug I was prescribed) caused it or just blew up the AML. On the night of diagnosis, I was told the hospital I was in could not treat me, and I would be transferred in the morning. About the time my wife returned home, she received a call that I had taken a turn for the worse and was being transferred immediately. During this time, we decided to use humor during interactions with all medical personnel from there on out.

Katie

Twenty years ago I did two things that shaped my life.

Joy

My mother, Joy, was diagnosed in 2015 with follicular lymphoma (FL) in her stomach. She went into remission after chemo treatment. Six months later, it came back, this time more aggressive and on the outside of her organs. They did CHOP chemo and then a bone marrow transplant. She went into remission for a second time. Eight months later, she wasn't feeling spectacular, so we took her back to the doctor. She was diagnosed with large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The mass was in her uterus and had grown so fast and massive that it blasted through her bladder.

Josie

I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in July 2024 at age 28.

I was working at a veterinary clinic when I started noticing splotches appearing on my skin. I thought it was maybe a case of ringworm I had contracted from one of the animal patients. I was also losing weight and suffering from intense dizzy spells daily.

I ignored the signs my body was giving me until it was almost too late. I felt very sick, and my gums were swelling. I went to Urgent Care where they diagnosed me with COVID-19 and sent me home with some cough drops and a nasal spray.

Jarvis

In the fall of 2019, life was very active for me and my 4-year-old son Jarvis. I was busy working 2-3 jobs, and Jarvis was busy just being a kid. Almost every day after school we would go to the park so he could run around and play. He was even starting to get interested in bikes and wanting to learn to ride when he started to mention his feet were hurting.

Jonathan

I was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on July 26, 2019, and even without the involvement of a pandemic, I imagine that’s reason enough to believe that to me 2018 seems like a lifetime ago. Still, I can remember it well enough: A wide-eyed younger version of me arrived at college orientation, somehow simultaneously thrilled to begin a new chapter of his life and paralyzingly terrified of the imminent unknown.

Henry

On April 6, 2021, we heard for the first time, “We think it's leukemia.” As I watched my boy jumping on the neighbor's bounce house enjoying the first warm spring afternoon, my mind went to one simple question, “Why him?” Up until that point, our then three-year-old, Henry, had been the happiest and healthiest toddler.

Aryan

Hello, my name is Aryan. I am 13 years old. I was almost five years old when I first got diagnosed with cancer. It started as a normal summer like always, and we were planning to go somewhere. My dad was always traveling because of work, so it was just me and my mom. I would mostly spend time at my grandparents’ house because I could play games with them. One day my dad saw a bump on the back of my head, and our pediatrician told us that it was a lymph node. My pediatric doctor told my parents that it's normal, part of recovery from a fever or cough and to monitor it.

Trisha

On November 15, 2019 at 29 years old, my world changed forever. I was diagnosed with Plasma Cell Leukemia. It is basically a hybrid of Multiple Myeloma and statistically only shows in men over 60. I wanted to be special but not like this! At my 6 week postpartum appointment with my second babe, my stomach had not been shrinking like it should but I assumed it was because it was my second baby or the diastasis recti. My OB did a ultrasound and saw a lot of ascites and that my liver was massive so she instructed I go to the ER as that was not normal.

Roberto

In the fall of 2014, I was living my dream. I had just finished my freshman year at NYU, where I studying musical theater. I was living in the East Village, experiencing everything that New York has to offer. Even though I was a long way from my family in Miami, I absolutely loved it. However, I soon started to feel lethargic, coupled with a lymph node that was popping out of my neck and getting bigger. Something just wasn’t right. I was downing 9 Advil a day and started seeing doctors to try and figure out what was going on.

Gregg

I sailed through the first 56 years of my life...bachelor's degree, master's degree, 20 years as a physical education teacher, 15 years as a district administrator and school principal.  Along the way I founded AZ Disabled Sports, the Desert Challenge Games, SkiAble and other programming for individuals with physical disabilities. 

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.

Steve

"This is just for now; I will get past this." Being diagnosed at age 56 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was the biggest surprise of my life. I was active, healthy, and strong, and had just "married off" my daughter days earlier. Oddly, I didn't experience much fear; I knew my life was changing greatly and that there would be challenges ahead that I'd never imagined. But I never thought to myself, "If I survive this." It was always, "When I'm cured of this." I had this optimism and countenance that everything would be okay and that I would live to be a grandfather.

Signs and Symptoms

A person who has signs or symptoms that suggest the possibility of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is usually referred to a blood cancer specialist called a hematologist-oncologist. The doctor will order additional tests and a tissue biopsy to make a diagnosis. The signs and symptoms of NHL are also associated with a number of other, less serious diseases.

The most common early sign of NHL is painless swelling of one or more lymph node(s). 

Stem Cell Transplantation

Stem cell transplantation is a procedure in which patients receive healthy stem cells to replace their own stem cells that have been destroyed by cancer or cancer treatments. The goal of stem cell transplantation is to cure the patient by destroying the cancer cells with high doses of chemotherapy and then to help the body start a new supply of blood cells.

Returning to School

Consider educating family members, friends, school personnel and healthcare providers about your child's possible long-term and late effects of treatment. In particular, talk with teachers about your child's needs before he or she returns to school, as they and other school personnel may not be aware of the potential for long-term and late effects of treatment.

Paul

Thank you on behalf of the Freeman Wilner Family for this Honored Hero Award in memory of my father, Dr. Freeman Wilner, he was a hero to many.