Search Results
Nate
On Monday July 17, 2017 my world got flipped upside down. I got out of work to bring my son, Nate to the ER, he had a bad stomach ache, my thoughts were he might have appendicitis. When I got him to CCMC, he was in extreme pain and they took him in right away. Initially the docs thought the same, they did a bedside ultrasound to find the appendix and it could not be found. A few hours passed and I'm asked to step out the room. At that moment I knew that my life would never be the same... My son, my life, my everything was sick and this time a kiss and band aid wasn't going to fix it.
Art
I was living in San Jose and had gone walking with a friend in a local park that followed the stream. It was December 15, 2006. Tom noticed that I had difficulty climbing up the five-foot stream embankment that the path went through. I myself didn’t recall this. Ten days later while visiting my wife’s children in Fairfax, the children and I went on a trail as we always did on Christmas morning. I found myself badly winded and returned to their home while they continued the hike. Then I noticed that I was not attracted to the Christmas feast.
Landon
My cancer journey began on June 24, 2018. A month before that day, I'd experienced chest pains, night sweats, and shortness of breath. After scheduling a doctor's appointment, my primary physician determined that it was merely an upper respiratory infection. For a week, I took the medicine prescribed by my doctor, hoping that I would soon feel well again. With little to no signs of improvement, I scheduled another appointment for Monday, June 25th. We didn't make it to that appointment, because on June 24th, I lost oxygen and passed out.
Allison
During the start of the pandemic, my boyfriend began working out from home with all the gyms being closed. While working out, he discovered a lump under his arm. We both waved it off as nothing to worry about, but he still asked his doctor about it just in case. His doctor wanted him to get it biopsied. I dropped him off for surgery, still naive that anything would actually be wrong. He wasn't showing symptoms, he was active and healthy, plus he was young. “We” were young. We were in love, talking about getting engaged, and just moved in together. What could go wrong?
Mario
I’m a very simple guy. I’ve worked in the financial industry for almost 10 years, however, my passion is cooking. In 2019, I had just lost 225 lbs. I was preparing to go back to culinary school.
There was a family incident in March of that year, and it put a lot of stress on us. I kept developing a strong workout routine to really help me get on the right track.
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.
Elissa
Ten years ago, my mother-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). She has since been deemed cured and has had no recurrence since her successful treatment. Some of her medicines were funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). We spent years racing for Team In Training (TNT) to fundraise for LLS.
Lisa
On my ex-husband's 40th birthday, I asked him to take me to the hospital. I'd had elective surgery a week prior, and I knew something was terribly wrong. I felt awful, it hurt to breathe. In emergency, we learned I had acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and bilateral pneumonia. A triple lumen was put in so I could receive antibiotics, blood transfusions, and chemo at the same time. I wasn't expected to make it through the weekend, and my entire family traveled to Dallas to be with me. Through a series of events, I was fortunate to be cared for by Dr.
Hailey
My mother and I being diagnosed with stage II Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) only six weeks apart from each other was not what I anticipated receiving for my 16th birthday. Braces, being my homeroom representative, volleyball tryouts, and getting my driver's license are the things I thought I would be navigating at this time. Instead, I spent my 16th year in pediatric oncology, receiving treatment at the same time my mom was receiving care in adult oncology.
Suesan
During caregiving for my partner, Dil, cancer has acted as a proctor of lessons we would have rather gone without. I have become more aware of accessibility issues because the chemotherapy and radiation treatment combined with overwhelming doses of steroids led to him having spinal fractures which impeded his mobility. Now when we go to a movie, are traveling, or generally getting around, I come armed with a pillow for his chair, he with his cane, an eye trained for impassable curbs or spaces that he can't comfortably navigate.
Caring for Your Child During Treatment
Preparing the HomeThe following changes to your home may make life easier and safer for you and your child:
Diagnosis
While certain signs and symptoms may indicate that a person has MF, a series of tests are needed to confirm the diagnosis. It is important to have an accurate diagnosis, as it helps the doctor to:
- Estimate how the disease will progress
- Determine the appropriate treatment
Some of these tests may be repeated both during and after treatment to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.
Healthy Eating
People living with cancer may have different nutrition goals and challenges, depending on their:
Myeloma Staging
Doctors use imaging and laboratory test results and bone marrow examination findings to determine the extent of disease. This determination is called “staging.” Staging helps your doctor predict the myeloma's progression and develop a treatment plan.
Stem Cell Transplantation with High-Dose Chemotherapy
High-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation are important parts of treatment plans for eligible, recently diagnosed myeloma patients. One of the following types of transplants may be used:
Are Clinical Trials Safe?
U.S. clinical trials are designed to give patients the safest, potentially most effective clinical therapies. Clinical trials are conducted once researchers have shown in the laboratory and in animal research that a particular study treatment has a good chance of offering better outcomes for people with a specific disease.
Patients enrolled in cancer clinical trials are never treated as “guinea pigs.” In fact, patients are given either
Peripheral Neuropathy
Cancer treatment, or sometimes the disease itself, can cause peripheral neuropathy (PN) — damage to nerves of the peripheral nervous system, which transmits information from the brain and spinal cord to every other part of the body. Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by:
Choosing a Treatment Center
Selecting a cancer treatment center may depend on several factors including your specific diagnosis, location and insurance coverage. You will want to choose an accredited treatment center with the medical expertise to provide the type(s) of treatment you will need.
Long-Term and Late Effects For Cancer Survivors
Blood cancer survivors don't always have serious long-term or late effects of treatment. For those who do, some long-term effects, such as fatigue, can linger for months or years after therapy. Late effects, such as medical conditions like heart disease and other cancers, don't appear until years after treatment ends. Effects can range from mild to severe.
Talk with your doctor about possible long-term and late effects. Your risk for developing long-term or late effects can be influenced by your:
Home Care
You don't necessarily need to depend on inpatient medical facilities to meet all your healthcare needs. If your condition allows, you can get the quality care you need at home and avoid the inconveniences of hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities.
Tina
As a lymphoma survivor, I want to take a moment to share my personal journey, as well as tell you all how The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) was with me every step of the way.
It all started in March 2018. We had been living in the UK with our two young daughters, and life was good! I had been feeling tired and had this hollow sound behind my ear. I saw doctors in both the UK and the U.S. who assured me it was most likely just my body trying to get over a sinus infection.
Doug
I have always been a builder. Professionally, I am an architect. You could say that I’ve spent my life building spaces where people could grow. I never imagined, however, that I would someday have to rebuild my own. In February 2015, after experiencing months of excruciating and debilitating back pain that doctors mistakenly attributed to deteriorating lower lumbar discs, I had an MRI that revealed multiple vertebral compressed fractures.
Steve
In June of 2016, I went to my primary care physician for a routine physical. Lab work revealed an abnormally low white blood cell count, triggering a bone marrow biopsy that found acute myeloid leukemia. In 48 hours, I went from feeling perfectly fine to a week-long, 24/7, chemotherapy cocktail. That was followed by four more weeks in the hospital to treat the inevitable infections and side effects of chemotherapy induced immunosuppression. I quickly learned that the rest of life doesn’t stop just because we’re sick.
Todd
In July of 2017, I had what I thought was a lingering summer cold. After several days of feeling terribly fatigued, I started noticing my gums were tender and bleeding. I also noticed red spots appearing across my face and chest. That's when I went to my primary care doctor and he advised me to go to the emergency room. The look on his face told me he suspected something serious. At the ER, I had a complete blood count workup, and soon after the attending doctors confirmed that I had acute myeloid leukemia.