Adults

Two years after surviving a massive heart attack, a heart transplant and a leg amputation at age 16, Jessica found a lump on her neck and was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). After months of treatment, her cancer was in remission.

Our daughter, Monica, is a busy mother of three sweet girls, age 12 months, 3 years and 6 years. After a long winter filled with the girls’ colds, infections, and flu, Monica was exhausted.

I was diagnosed with CLL in 2010 after feeling tired all the time, bruising easily, significant joint pain, a hot mess. I was told I could be treated but never cured. I survived an earlier cancer via radiation therapy where I was over radiated. I had never been so sick in all my life. While I don't ignore my condition I've decided to live best I can.

I was diagnosed with lymphoma in January and it has been an uncertain journey since then. I’m still unsure of what lymphoma means to me. Because I haven’t been able to answer this question, I have been reticent to share my diagnosis with others. Am I a cancer “victim?” Does cancer define me? Should I be advocating for lymphoma care and awareness this September?

Rewind to 2012, I was 35 years old, married and father of three. I was IBEW electrical lineman for a utility company and climbed poles all day (as seen in this photo). I noticed I had a severe stomach pain on my right side and was extremely fatigued. I went to the doctor for a checkup and got the all ok.

We went to our local hospital with what we thought was kidney stone pain! Fast forward 10 hours later and we had a surgeon tell us Geoff had stage 4 cancer, fast forward another three days, a hospital transfer, and he found out the monster we were dealing with was stage 4 Burkitts lymphoma and if we hadn’t come in he would have died in three weeks!

My name is Tommy Cummings, and I have been a survivor for 18 years now with multiple myeloma and thank God and LLS for the help they do for all of us who rely on them for help in battling this disease.

My mother, Jennifer, was diagnosed with breast cancer completely unexpectedly in 2015 and beat it a year later. Soon after, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We were in complete shock.

My name is Chrissy, approximately. a year ago I had kidney stones and went to hospital for treatment. They sent me for scans and the CT scan showed a spot/mass on my spleen. Being that size it was at that time doctors told me to leave it be.