Search Results

Joe

On August 2, 2018 I took my husband Joe for outpatient surgery to repair a torn cartilage on his left knee, he was prepped up and ready to go, when his orthopedic surgeon came in and told him his surgery was cancelled, he showed us his blood work and talked about possible cancer. We were advised to go directly to his primary care doctor, as we drove to the doctor’s office our heads were spinning as we tried to comprehend what we were just told.

Charlene

Cancer. That is a word that is scary. So many of us have friends, family and co-workers that are impacted by some type of cancer, but you never think it will be you. The word conjures up fear. Fear of treatment, fear of death and fear of what will be expected of you to deal with and hopefully survive. 

Sasha

When five-year-old Sasha had her birthday in June, there was more to celebrate this year — she had just gotten her port removed and was officially done with blood cancer treatment.

Sasha was just 2 years old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in October 2017.  She began intense treatment right away, which continued until right before her fifth birthday. Sasha spent countless days at the hospital fighting for her life and enduring the brutal side effects that came with treatment, but she never lost her charming personality and bright smile.

Beth

Shortly after Thanksgiving of 2008, I started feeling sick and extremely weak. By late January of 2009, I was diagnosed with stage IV aggressive Burkitt’s lymphoma.

Jack

Jack is a particularly big fan of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  His is an active Patient Advocate managing a local support group for patients and caregivers interested in his rare blood cancer, he participates in LLS' First Connection program, has helped with LLS' Team in Training and Light the Night recruiting efforts.  He received LLS' appreciation award "For Outstanding Commitment and Support of Advocacy and Patient Quality of Life" in June 2104.

Patty

On January 19, 2012, I lost the love of my life to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We were together for 21 years and this was not how our love story was supposed to end. Too young, too soon… still so much to do, to see, to experience – How do you go on? How do you continue life without the other half of you? How do you stop crying in the shower, before the water runs cold? How do you get dressed, put on a smile and face the world – alone? How do you believe again, when everything you believed in is gone?

Alayna

September 8, 2021: I didn’t know it at the time, but the mass I found in my neck the night before I started my senior year of high school would forever change my life.

Jaden

My name is Jaden, and I am an 18-year-old Political Science student at Penn State University. I have been deeply involved with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) since I was 10 years old, a journey that began with a profound personal experience.

Liz

In December 2010, my fiancé, Darla, was diagnosed with stage 4 small B-cell lymphoma (NHL). Her doctors developed a plan to start her on chemotherapy as soon as possible. She became very sick over the next couple of weeks. When she went to her first treatment three weeks after diagnosis, they could not administer the chemotherapy due to her being so ill. They put it off for a day and began Rituxan® treatment the next morning. She began having an allergic reaction to the drug. They stopped the treatment and tried to stabilize her, but later that evening, she passed away.

Leigh

In August 2019, I developed pneumonia for the third time in two years. I had been finding that my ability to fight off illness was not as good as it used to be. Once it got to the point that I was having problems breathing, I decided to go to urgent care. Two years prior, I had been hospitalized for pneumonia, and I wasn’t looking forward to it happening again. I Googled the nearest urgent care, and it was closed. There was only one nearby that was open, but I had never been before.

Laura

I became aware of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) after I was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). A social worker at the hospital where I was being treated gave my information to the LLS Patient Services Manager, and she called me. Then she gave me the contact information for a patient who had young children like mine and was two weeks ahead of me in the process, and we spoke with each other.

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.

Trisha

In November 2019, Trisha and her husband were thrilled to have given birth to her second daughter. At this time, she went to visit her OBGYN for her 6-Week Postpartum Exam, and to her surprise, her doctor noticed she had an enlarged spleen and liver. She was immediately instructed to go to the emergency room, where she was admitted for one week. After a bone marrow biopsy, Trisha was diagnosed with plasma cell leukemia (PCL). Three days later, I went to another follow-up with my oncologist.

Sarah

I am the mother of Madelynn, aka Maddie, who was diagnosed with biphenotypic acute leukemia (BAL) on March 13, 2023, following months of illness initially thought to be a sinus infection. Despite multiple doctor visits and two trips to the emergency room, it wasn’t until Maddie’s condition worsened that she received the correct diagnosis, which involved both acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with the Philadelphia chromosome. Maddie immediately began an aggressive chemotherapy regimen and spent the first month of her treatment in the hospital.

Maria

My son, AJ, was diagnosed with leukemia on September 23, 2014, and from then on, our life changed. AJ had bumps, turns, and stops during his treatment, but we were lucky to have found The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) about a year into his 3¼-year treatment protocol. Our first event was a Light The Night (LTN) walk one year, one month, and one day from his diagnosis date. It was a special evening where AJ was able to see so many survivors and be surrounded by people who supported him.

Katie

I want to share my blood cancer journey. It all started back in October 2019 when I was at Gonzaga University. I started to experience the symptoms that I’m sure we’re all far too familiar with ― stomach pain, digestive problems, nausea, chest pain, and fatigue, all of which I was dealing with in addition to 20+ hours a week of tennis practice and a 15-credit class load.

Sherry

Last March, my husband Bruce went in for what was supposed to be a "simple" surgery. When the doctor opened him up, she found a mass the size of a honeydew melon (her description to me) wound around his intestines and colon. She essentially did cancer surgery on the spot and removed lymph nodes and the tumor.

Felicita

At age 38, I was a wife and mom of three active boys. I worked as a preschool teacher. My days were spent surrounded by children, even when I was not working. In the fall of 2018, I began feeling really tired and I was suffering from chronic back pain and abdominal pain. I also was losing a great deal of weight. Then one evening while stretching, I felt a large lump on the left side of my abdomen. I panicked and made an appointment with my primary care physician.

Madison

On April 23, 2020, at the age of 15, my whole world changed. I got the call that I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) while getting ready for a birthday party. Throughout quarantine, I had to undergo four cycles of chemotherapy and 14 days of radiation consisting of countless days in and out of the hospital. I had allergic reactions to a few of my chemotherapies which caused me to stop breathing, and they happened at least once every cycle which was scary. My hair eventually started falling out in clumps, and the day I had to cut it off was probably when I cried the most.

Jack

On October 19, 2018, after complaining about excruciating pain in his back, we took our 16-year-old son Jack to see the pediatrician. The doctor checked him out and told us to immediately get him to the Children's Hospital of Colorado and go to the 7th floor to see Dr. Maloney. Not paying attention and thinking nothing was wrong, we didn't notice that the 7th floor was the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. We met with doctors, had a blood test done, and they came back with the dreaded words, "Your child has cancer." Specifically, he had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

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.

Feeling uncertain? Start here.

Gary

In 1999 I had a lump on my neck, and after strong urging from my wife and my mother, I finally went to my family doctor. My white blood cell counts were really high, and antibiotics didn't help. Eventually, a biopsy indicated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).  

Tatijane

On February 19, 2021, I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), both B and T cells, and given six to eight weeks to live. I was 24 years old. I was diagnosed alone in the ER because of COVID-19 protocols and unable to see my family and friends in person for a week or two because of testing, port placements, and biopsies. It was like an earthquake that shook up my life as well as all my loved ones’ lives, and all I wanted was to hug my mom.