Adults

My name is Bill Bannon. I am a semi-retired child support magistrate for the Minnesota State Courts. In April 2017 I experienced shortness of breath, a sore-throat and bleeding gums. I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), was stabilized, and started on intensive chemotherapy.

I was originally diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in November 2008. I went through one induction chemo and four rounds of consolidation chemo and then I was considered cancer free.

In 2015, I was living in New York City and noticed a lump under my left armpit when I was in the shower. Nobody likes to go to the doctor to talk about strange bodily findings, so I waited for a few months to see if it would magically go away on its own. It didn't. I finally worked up the courage to make a doctor appointment.

In June 2014, I dislocated my knee. I saw the doctor and after an MRI and an X-ray was told I needed physical therapy and rest. I did both and my knee saw a slight improvement but on New Year's Day 2015, while playing with my children, I dislocated my knee again.

My name is Hannah Gallant. I am an 11 years old from Quispamsis, New Brunswick Canada. In August 2016, after several trips to the doctor and the hospital because I wasn’t feeling well, my parents brought me to the hospital for blood work. I wasn't worried, because I thought it was just growing pains.

To say that I have always been daddy's little girl would be the biggest understatement. Everything from school dances to projects in the garage, I could always be found by my dad's side. In 2009, my dad was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2008. For a year, I was in the “watch and wait” category with no treatment until the disease progressed. In April 2009 I progressed to “active disease” and began treatments followed by an autologous stem cell transplant in January 2010.