Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

I will never underestimate my parents' sacrifices to provide my siblings and me with the millions of opportunities we have due to their hard work. My parents were born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Both were born to families who instilled the traditional family value of grit in every walk of life.

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.

I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on October 27, 2020. I was 24 years old at the time, and my girlfriend had just given birth to our son a month before I got sick. I was first admitted to St. Mary’s Medical Hospital in Apple Valley, California, then later transferred to Loma Linda University Medical Center.

My grandson, Dominick, was diagnosed with high-risk pre-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in November 2014. He was 2 3/4 years old and it was only eight months after his dad unexpectedly passed away. Obviously this was a new shock for his mom, Danielle, and his family.

At age 2, Myra began having fevers and joint pain. Her parents took her to their pediatrician where she had bloodwork done. The results came back normal except it showed she was a little anemic.

“Myra never had any bruising or any issues other than the recurring fever,” according to her father.

In May 2019, when Carter was just 2 years old. While attending his cousin’s graduation in New York City, I knew something was not right because he was not feeling well. We rushed him to New York Presbyterian Hospital where he received several blood and platelet transfusions.

Born in Egypt, at the age of three, me and my family immigrated to the U.S. when I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). I grew up in Long Island, New York, where I received treatment for 10 years. On my 13th birthday, I underwent brain surgery and remains cancer-free.

I am an awardee of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Scholarship for Blood Cancer Survivors. I currently hold an associate’s degree in science and am pursuing my bachelor's degree in biology at California State University, San Bernardino, (CSUSB). I am very grateful to be granted this scholarship to help pay for my tuition.

This started 11 years ago when my mom was first diagnosed with lymphoma. I wanted to do more and saw the purple team always out running events I was entered into. I wanted to join and did in 2010. I ran in countless events over the years with Team In Training (TNT). Then my mom passed in May of 2017 while I was training for the Walt Disney World event.

Lucy was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) when she was 32-weeks pregnant with our son Watson. She underwent two rounds of chemo while our son was inside her. After giving birth to our healthy, 4 lb., premature baby, she immediately went back to treatment with more rounds of chemo and a bone marrow transplant.