Met at the tail-end of 2014, moved in together in the fall of 2016, and he was diagnosed right at the start of 2017. Not too long after we heard one of the worst things you can hear a doctor say, we were in for quite a wild ride that found us in emergency rooms and clinics for the next several months, and along the way we got introduced to an origination that crushes it, LLS AKA the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
There are a number of blood cancers one can get, but my guy had Adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It was the first time I heard that lengthier term, as I’d heard of leukemia before but didn’t really know what it entailed. That changed quickly.
Right away I was inundated with new information. This is something anyone with a loved one in a similar situation can attest to. You become a nurse without an official degree and license. I also became familiar with LLS as soon as the dust settled on his treatment, and the social worker, Jose, entered the picture. Side note: if you ever find yourself in the hospital with something like this, the social worker is your best friend.
Jose gave us all the paperwork and information on not only what the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society was, and what they could do for us. One of the things they provided was a travel card. This was immensely helpful since we didn’t have a car at the time, and were Ubering to and from the clinic (in LA traffic on the 405) multiple times a week after he was discharged. We were able to benefit from that twice during his treatment. Not only that, but the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society puts on an annual conference in Anaheim that provides great informational sessions but also a chance to meet people at all different stages of their cancer journey. The first time we went, we met a woman who was celebrating several years or so in remission and it helped give my guy hope that this wasn’t a death sentence.
Events like that are incredibly useful not just for patients but their loved ones as well because we’re as emotionally spent as them, but we often don’t show it because well, we’re not the ones dealing with the heavier toll of the diagnosis. We often just worry in silence so it’s nice to be able to go to something like that and meet other caregivers and talk to them about what they’ve been through or are going through as well.
In the future, I’d love to do more with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and see if there is a way to volunteer to deep clean the homes of patients before they return home from their hospital stays. This is because after something like a stem cell transplant – you basically have to live in a pretty sterile environment.
LLS helped us when we needed it most, but not because we were special or anything. They’re an organization that helps people with blood cancer regardless of who they are, and that’s why it is a crush that gives back in the best possible way.
Crushgasm 