Adults

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.

It all started for me the day our first child turned two months old. She was extremely colicky, and we would spend hours every night trying to get her to sleep. This particular night, I bounced on our exercise ball to try to get her down, and that caused some extremely bad back pain. I could tell something was seriously wrong.

I was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) on February 13, 2017. I went to MD Anderson since I was already living in Houston, Texas. I was a pastor and counselor for 24 years. I was able to use my counseling skills with other patients as I was going through my inpatient treatment.

My journey with The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) started in 2015 when my spouse was diagnosed with orbital lymphoma.  

My brother Jim was an amazing man. He was a person for whom family was everything. He ran a plumbing business with his brothers and took pride in its success, but he was so much more than his work. We called him “The Renaissance Plumber” because he was so knowledgeable on so many topics―history, literature, music, politics, sports. He was also a wonderful cook and a genial host.

I was diagnosed in 2009 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Upon diagnosis, perhaps the greatest shock was becoming aware that I knew so little about cancer, so little about the medical system, and how one needs to go about a process of self-education regarding their disease.

I was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). As soon as you learn that you have a form of cancer in your body, read a lot about it. Learn as much as you can about your cancer and how to talk to your doctor. It's up to you; it’s a mind situation.

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.