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Amanda

My name is Amanda, and I am a stage 4b classical multicellularity Hodgkin lymphoma (CHL) survivor. It all started after spring break of my junior year of high school. I was on a ski trip when I noticed my feet were more itchy than normal. I figured it was from the boots. After coming home and realizing it had gotten worse, we went to the pediatrician. She looked at the bruises and scratch marks on my legs and diagnosed me with scabies. I did the whole treatment for that, and obviously, it didn’t work. A week or two later. we went back and had some basic bloodwork done.

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.

Graham

In the fall of 2008 my wife and I got married. Shortly after returning from our honeymoon, I began developing pains and weakness in my joints. This continued through the holidays and I sought medical attention when the pain in my shoulders and hips became unbearable. After inconclusive X-rays and unsuccessful Cortisone shots, I began developing a pain in my abdomen around Christmas. The joint pains I wrote off as working out too hard and the abdomen pain I concluded was an ulcer.

Halley

My story with cancer began long before I was diagnosed this year at 33. When I was 4 years old, my 18-month-old sister, Hannah, became too tired to play with me. As a child, I didn’t know what was going on, but something seemed wrong. My mom started taking her to doctor after doctor to find out what was happening. It wasn’t until we visited my grandmother in Florida that she had to go to the ER, and our family got the concerning news that she may have cancer.

Skylar

As a parent, there are few words that can knock you on your feet. “Your child has cancer” is one of those phrases that can make you fall apart in an instant.

Heriberto

I was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma (BL) on Friday the 13th ― August 13, 2021, to be exact ― seven months after being married, three months after my wedding reception, and going on my honeymoon.

Allie

When I was in fourth grade, back in 2015, my older brother Nate (a freshman in high school at the time) was rushed down by ambulance to the U of M Masonic Children’s Hospital. His spleen was holding 10x the normal amount of red blood cells. This led to the discovery of his cancer. He was later diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Brandi

My concerns began to rise when I noticed some spotting/bleeding between cycles that would last for 10 minutes or less. Additionally, I also started to experience slight abdominal cramps first thing in the morning. I’ve always been a deep sleeper and rarely woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary. That escalated to me waking up multiple times in the middle of the night to try to use the restroom, sometimes without cramps and other times with extreme abdominal cramps.

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.

Carly

November 25, 2022 ― the worst day of my life, the day I received my official cancer diagnosis, stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma (HL).

Leading up to this day, I was always a healthy, active young lady. I was 23 years old and eager to start this next phase in life. Exciting things were happening. We were fairly new homeowners, I had just changed jobs/occupations, and I married the love of my life in October.

James

My story starts like everyone else’s. I was living my life, working every day, and coming home to my four children and my wife. But my wife and I started to notice how tired I was becoming. I would always sleep. I could just be waking up, and by the time I got ready for work, I was passing out in my chair. When I got a lunch break, I would sleep in my truck. I would always feel like I couldn’t get enough to drink; I was always thirsty. I barely ate anything, and I was getting fevers and the shakes. I could be hot and sweating, but I would be cold and shaking if that makes any sense.

Diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis is one of the most important aspects of a person’s medical care. Obtaining a precise diagnosis will help the doctor to:

• Estimate how the disease will progress
• Determine the appropriate treatment

The results of blood tests that accompany periodic medical examinations may indicate the need for further evaluation for myeloma. These include an elevated protein level, anemia and abnormalities in kidney function or calcium levels.

Who We Are

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is at the forefront of the fight to cure cancer. We are the largest nonprofit dedicated to creating a world without blood cancers. Since 1949, we’ve invested nearly $1.3 billion in groundbreaking research, pioneering many of today’s most innovative approaches.

Cancer is a heck of an opponent.

It's a bully. But we aren't afraid of a fight. It's elusive. But our focus never fades. It's deadly. But we are known, cancer killers.

Treatment Outcomes

With the current advances in treatment and supportive care, survival rates for myeloma patients have improved significantly in the last decades. It is not unusual for myeloma patients to live for 10 years or longer after diagnosis. Outcomes are influenced by a series of patient-specific factors, including disease stage, chromosome abnormalities, age and presence of other medical problems. Patients should discuss their own potential outcomes with their doctors.

Click here to access myeloma survival statistics.

Be Your Child’s Advocate

Parents may need to educate other family members, friends, school personnel and healthcare providers about long-term and late effects. Here are some steps parents can take:

Options for Sperm Preservation

You may be able to take certain steps and precautions to preserve fertility before, during and after treatment. 

Subaru Loves to Care

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is partnering with Subaru and its retailers to spread hope, love, and warmth to blood cancer patients and their families for the sixth consecutive year. As part of Subaru Loves to Care, we’re providing information on free education and support services from LLS to those fighting blood cancers across the country.

Talking About Cancer

Telling people about your diagnosis is a very personal decision. Some people with cancer choose to tell only close family. Others find it helps to let more people know about their diagnosis. Take some time to consider what and how much you would like to share about your diagnosis and how you want to share this information. By letting friends and family know about your diagnosis, you give them the chance to offer their support.

Here are some tips and things to keep in mind when telling someone about your diagnosis:

Myeloma Overview

As black Americans are at twice the risk for myeloma as whites, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has created Myeloma Link to increase access to education and treatment for myeloma in African American communities.

Chemotherapy and Drug Therapy

The main treatment for active myeloma is systemic drug therapy (meaning the drugs travel through the bloodstream to kill malignant cells). The initial therapy, or “induction therapy,” for myeloma usually includes a combination of targeted agents and/or standard chemotherapy. This therapy is often followed by stem cell transplantation in eligible patients.

Induction therapy, given before the transplant, has several goals:

Jessica

Madeleine

We were lucky. It seems strange to frame it that way, but it's true.

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.

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.

David

On June 17, 2014, 12-year-old David Stim visited his pediatrician's office to have a routine school physical. During the exam, the nurse practitioner noticed an enlarged lymph node on the right side of his neck and surmised that it probably due to a reaction to something, as is almost always the case in pediatrics. Since David had been treated for strep throat the month before, there was not much cause for concern.