Search Results
Donna
I was shockingly diagnosed with a monoclonal spike in November 2019 (six months after the unexpected death of my mom). Treatment was started in June 2020. I went to Mt. Sinai NYC where they have a team that just deals with multiple myeloma (MM). I am grateful that a couple of people recommended I go there. They treated me with four drugs, one of which wasn’t available at my local oncologist. The regimen was Velcade, Revlimid®, daratumumab, and dexamethasone. I had this induction therapy until my stem cell transplant in March 2021.
A Starting Place to Prioritize Your Mental Health
Coping with a blood cancer diagnosis and the whirlwind of experiences that follows can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining for everyone impacted by it.
Whether you're a patient or caregiver, you begin to realize your life will never be the same.
Zoie
My mom thought it was the flu, maybe mono. After I spent five days lying in bed, she took me to an Urgent Care Clinic. I knew it was something far more serious after they called an ambulance. My mom wouldn’t believe the Urgent Care doctor when he told her he suspected it was cancer. Unfortunately, he was right. I was 11 when I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Charles
I was alone with my doctor in the hospital when she told me I had no bone marrow matches in the world. I cried a lot that day. I was admitted two weeks prior, after relapsing from acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive blood cancer. As a husband, father and criminal prosecutor, I’ve dedicated my life to caring for my loved ones and protecting my community. Now, leukemia was threatening my life and there was no one that could protect me from it.
Tricia
My name is Tricia, and I am a two-time cancer survivor. In 2017, at the age of 27, I got a positive pregnancy test. We were elated! We already had a three-year-old daughter and couldn't wait to expand our family. I made an appointment with my OB-GYN to confirm the pregnancy and get a due date when she found a lump on my thyroid. I was constantly assured it would be nothing. Unfortunately, after a biopsy, it was confirmed to be thyroid cancer. I underwent surgery to remove half of my thyroid that had the tumor. It was very scary going under the knife since I was pregnant at the time.
Chancez
Hey, my name is Chancez (ironically, I was blessed with many chances last year). I became a part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) community last year and was provided financial support. I was also presented with love, care, and daily reminders of all the support that was available to me to get me through such a rough period in my life. A friend of mine suggested that I share my story to help others in our community, especially young adults who are in the same predicament I was once in.
Steve
I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) after moving from New Orleans to San Antonio, Texas. What started as a routine visit to an allergist for swelling in my cheeks, eyes, and neck turned into a life-changing moment when a CT scan revealed the unthinkable. In that devastating instant when my doctor delivered the news, I discovered that sometimes life's darkest moments can lead you to exactly where you need to be. The people of San Antonio didn't just welcome me ― they embraced me, making their city my sanctuary.
Kenya
I was diagnosed with two blood cancers — multiple myeloma (MM) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML).
Cancer entered my life at five years old when I lost my father to pancreatic cancer. Then again, when my oldest sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, she is now nine years cancer-free. Then again, when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, we lost my mother in May 2019 to breast cancer
Employment Rights of Cancer Survivors and Caregivers
Working often fulfills a critical financial and emotional need for cancer survivors and their caregivers. In addition to providing income and important benefits such as health insurance, employment also can provide a source of support, feelings of productivity, and even normalcy. Cancer, however, may create barriers to finding and keeping a job, as well as wreak havoc on the ability to pay bills and to obtain adequate insurance.
“People Just Didn’t Get It”: Treating Young Adults with Cancer
Think of spring break: warm sunny skies, a refreshing drink, and hopefully, a feeling of freedom.
Lymphoma diagnosis, survival rate by age, prognosis, and treatment
Table of contents:
Julian
I was a 10-year-old kid when I was diagnosed with leukemia. I was a happy, energetic kid who loved being outside and was a straight-A student. However, my whole childhood was put on hold indefinitely once I had cancer. Rather than having sleepovers at my friend’s houses, I was sleeping over at the hospital. It was hard to lose my energy, smile, confidence, and hair as treatment took over my life. It was really hard to understand as I was just a kid getting injections, procedures, chemotherapy, and surgery without truly understanding why.
Elisa
I was diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in April 2022 at 27 years old. After months of debilitating symptoms and a week-long hospital stay, I finally had an answer as to what was going on with my body. I was relieved to have an answer, but "cancer" was the last thing I expected. Ironically, after my diagnosis and first chemotherapy infusion, I felt better than I had in months. I didn't feel like I had cancer; the only reminders were a few enlarged lymph nodes and the mediport protruding from the right side of my chest.
Will
I am a cancer mom. I WAS a cancer mom. My youngest son, Will, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) at age 19 in April of 2019. He, his dad, and I were beyond shocked when we heard the news that the swollen lymph nodes that came up out of the blue one March morning were indeed HL. We didn't really know anybody personally that had it. We didn't know what exactly all the words meant at that moment in time, but we knew it wasn't what we had planned for our youngest son.
REACH: Recruitment Expansion through community Access to Clinical trials in Hematologic malignancies
Mayo Clinic Rochester (MCR) is a tertiary center with 35,000 blood cancer visits annually. Circa 70% of patients referred to MCR come from 5 states: MN, WI, IA, SD and ND inhabited by 10,483,946 people living primarily in a rural setting. To improve local care access, MCR has developed the Mayo Clinic Health System (MCHS), a network of 17 community sites of which 7 have oncology care. In 2018, the MCR joined with the University of Minnesota to establish the Minnesota Cancer Clinical Trials Network (MCCTN) that includes 18 sites.
Jane
In October 2015, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). After growing up never getting sick, I had cancer. It was incredibly difficult to comprehend at the age of 13 that I was about to endure something most people won’t experience in a lifetime. I went through four rounds of chemotherapy and was in remission in January of 2016. Once you’re in remission, you believe that that’s the end. You’ll have a few check-ups here and there, but in your head, you envision no more cancer.
Ariana
In the blink of an eye, our lives can crumble underneath us like a tsunami drowning the life out of a city. Many of us unknowingly stand on the edge of an eroding cliff and one slip away from relinquishing our most desired aspirations. At 19 years old, I stood inches away from the edge of that cliff when I was diagnosed with essential thrombocythemia (ET). This was one of the most defining moments in my life that propelled me into a tenacious desire to become a physician capable of fully understanding the fragility of life.
Coping Tips for Parents
Throughout your child's illness, you'll be focused on comforting your child and helping him or her cooperate with treatment. You may also need to explain what's happening to your other children, answer relatives' questions and perhaps make alternate arrangements for work and childcare. All along the way, you'll be coming to terms with your own feelings and choices.
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.
Kendra
I first learned of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) when I participated in a Team in Training (TNT) event to walk a half marathon in San Francisco in October 2004. My friend in Michigan had lost her dad to lymphoma earlier that year, and she was training for the event from her home in Michigan. My training and participation were a way to support her during the loss of her dad. I never thought I could walk that far, and, through the support of the trainers and the motivation to support my friend, I had an awesome time completing that walk.
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.
Gerardo (Jerry)
I came into this world with a 65,000-mile warranty. During all my life, maybe I had a cold once in a while, some minor stuff, a bit of bursitis, but nothing that you would consider life-threatening at all. One day during a routine exam, I had blood work done. My PCP told me she didn't like my white blood cell count, and it was best to have a specialist look at it. She referred me to an oncologist. I didn’t think of it much, and since I was feeling fine, I thought it must be nothing of consequence.
Renee
I was a senior in high school preparing to graduate. I had summer plans to work at my youth group camp and endless ideas for my future. That all came crashing down on May 27, 2002, when I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is a rare and rapidly growing cancer of the bone marrow that destroys the production of normal blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. At the time of my diagnosis, my family was given devastating odds that only a miracle could fix. I was so dangerously sick that I needed multiple transfusions immediately, and that was just the beginning.