Free Patient Education Event: The 3 F's of Cancer

Please make plans to join us for the FREE Patient Education Event on April 7th. 

Register here

Travel Assistance Program: Re-Opening Today!

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's  (LLS) Susan Lang Pay-it-Forward Patient Travel Assistance program will reopen on Monday, September 19, 2016 at 12PM EST. 

LLS recently received funding specifically for pediatric patients defined as “children and adolescents 19 years of age or below at the time of application”.  The pediatric fund is limited and is expected to fill quickly.  Once these allotments are filled, patients may apply to the general fund for assistance.  

Qualifying patients can only receive travel assistance once per fiscal year.

Available Funding

General Fund – provides assistance for patients with all blood cancers

Pediatric Fund (limited) –provides assistance for children and adolescents (19 years of age or below at time of application) with all blood cancers.

Patient Eligibility

Patient eligibility criteria for travel assistance:

·         Applicants (patients) must be US citizens or permanent residents which is verified by applicant’s physical address; and

·         Applicants must have a confirmed diagnosis of blood cancer; and

·         Applicants may be insured or uninsured; and

·         Applicants must meet financial eligibility criteria defined as an annual income at or below 500% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)  

A one-time grant of $500 is available for qualified patients per year:

·         Awards are limited to one per patient, per year; and

·         Awards are based upon a first-come first-serve basis; and

·         The program will be offered for as long as funding is available; and

·         Award is distributed via the Susan Lang Pay-it-Forward patient travel assistance credit card

Approved Travel Expenses: ground transportation, tolls, gas, parking, car rental, air transportation, lodging, and ambulance services.

Expenses NOT Covered: food, drinks and alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, automotive parts/supplies and repair, auto dealers, travel agencies, baggage fees, and international travel.

How to Apply

Patients can apply via the online portal at www.lls.org/travel or by calling ourtoll free number: 844-565-2269. 

North Texas Patients Need YOUR Help

The North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) continuously strives to improve the patient experience for those diagnosed with blood cancers.  Recent feedback from a number of local patients has revealed a need for a resource packet at the point of diagnosis.  Here is where WE NEED YOU.  We need your feedback and advice to best arm newly diagnosed blood cancer patients with questions they should ask, resources they should seek out, products that help combat the impact of chemotherapy treatments, and more.

Please take this short 10 question survey  and share your knowledge with people who desperately need your help right now.

Share this survey with other blood cancer patients who may also be able to add advice for others.

Thank you for taking time to help fellow patients in North Texas.

Susan Allen: First Connection

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) offers patients and their families a number of different resources to help during treatment.  One of the most popular programs is called the Patti Robinson Kaufman First Connection Program.  The purpose is to put patients in contact with somebody who has already gone through treatment for the same type of blood cancer.  LLS does its best to match age, gender, diagnosis and treatment options when making a First Connection match.  

Read as Steve Bradbury of Fort Worth talks about his experience using the First Connection Program below.

"In January of 1992 I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  I had never heard of this and at 23 years of age I was bulletproof.   I completed three months of chemotherapy and 60 days of radiation, and ten years later I was released from my doctor.  I kept going back for two more years, cancer free.   Then in the fall/winter of 2013 I became ill, pneumonia, cough, and could not kick it. Finally the day before Thanksgiving I went for a CT.  Within ten days I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma again.  I was a little less bullet proof at age 45.   Luckily, I have clients who work in the cancer arena and I was put in contact with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. From there I found out about First Connection.

Within a few days of my second treatment I received a call from a man named Jim Omara in Pennsylvania. He had gone through treatments for Hodgkin’s lymphoma twice himself.  This call was a blessing to me.  We spoke like we knew each other for years and email each other monthly now with updates, questions and stories.  I am almost finished with my treatment and the last pet scan showed that the cancer was gone.  Jim has been cancer free for some time and I told him after I first visit, that as soon as I was done with the treatment I would be joining the First Connection to help others.  He really helped me focus on me, my treatment and I hoped I would be able to do the same for others."

Please reach out to me if you are interested in learning more about the First Connection program or would like to get involved.

Your friend, 

Susan

_______________________________________________________________________________

Susan Allen is the Patient Access Manager of the North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and author of this monthly blog series.  She is a 22-year Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor, registered nurse and a Certified Nurse Navigator.

Contact Susan:

Susan.Allen@lls.org

(972) 996-5905

Ode to Joy

A Dallas-based painter named Carroll Burgoon recently donated nearly 500 copies of his Ode to Joy journal to the North Texas Chapter.  Carroll invested more than 20 years, 40,000 hours and his endless talent into creating this beautiful journal that includes a number of his original artwork.  

Carroll made this donation to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) because he wanted to give patients, survivors and their families an outlet to express their feelings and emotions during their blood cancer journey.

Carroll has a close connection to the LLS mission and the North Texas Chapter.  His grandfather died of leukemia and he use to be very close friends with the former Team In Training Director in North Texas.

We know that Carroll's generous gift will serve as a source of comfort for patients and their families.

Susan on LLS Services: An Introduction

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) offers a wide range of offerings and services to blood cancer patients, their family members, caregivers and survivors.  In an effort to better educate people of what LLS has to offer in North Texas, we are starting a monthly series that will highlight the different services and how you can get the most out of them.

This month we introduce Susan Allen, the new Patient Access Manager for North Texas.  Susan will be writing this monthly series.

Hello,

My name is Susan Allen and I am the Patient Access Manager (PAM) for LLS.

As the PAM in the North Texas Chapter I am focused on serving our patients and their families. I am the person on the other end of the phone when they call that has the opportunity to listen to their story, find out their needs and connect them with the services that will help meet those needs. LLS is a large organization that works tirelessly to raise money for research in order to cure the patients but, the North Texas Chapter is a small family that cares about the patients on a day to day basis by offering them one on one support, co-pay assistance, educational opportunities and community resources.

My personal journey to find my way to LLS started in 1992 when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and became associated with the Society. In 1995 I had the pleasure of participating in Team In Training and running Hawaii Marathon and have always stayed in touch with LLS. I am also a registered Nurse and a Certified Nurse Navigator so the opportunity to work with the patients and their families through their Cancer Journey is very near to my heart and something that I strive to do with excellence. What an honor to have this job and be the one to develop that special relationship with those going through cancer.

Being a 22 survivor I look forward to gathering other Blood Cancer Survivor’s and becoming a “Champions” for those that have a way to go. We can offer them hope, support and lend out voices to become advocates to make sure that those patients have access to the care and treatment that they need.

Take Care and LLS will always be there… if you need us,

Susan Allen
Susan.Allen@lls.org
(972) 996-5905

Mission Monday: LLS Information Specialists

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)  offers a number of services free of charge for blood cancer patients, their families and caregivers.  Today the focus is on LLS Information Specialists and how they can play a significant role in helping a newly diagnosed person understand their treatment options.

Our Information Specialists are master's level social workers and health educators who can help people with cancer navigate through treatment, financial and social challenges and give accurate, up-to-date disease and treatment information.

Below is a list of some of the major issues they can help you address:

• help you deal with the challenges of your diagnosis
• provide information about treatment options
• help you map the best route from diagnosis through treatment and survivorship
• conduct individual clinical trial searches for you and help you develop a list of questions to ask your doctor about participating in a clinical trial
• help you communicate with members of your healthcare team
• connect you to national resources
• connect you with the patient services manager at your local chapter who can guide you to local programs and resources
• provide you with free materials to help you on your cancer journey

Callers may request the services of a language interpreter. Medical interpretation services are available in 170 languages.  For automated translation assistance, go to web page translation. This automated tool can provide only a general translation of the page.

Reach out to an Information Specialist in one of the following ways:

• Call (800) 955-4572, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, for support and guidance.
• Leave a message for a call back 24/7. Use the automated response system 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call (800) 955-4572. An Information Specialist will return your call the next business day. You can also listen to recorded information about LLS and our programs.
• Visit Live Patient Help to chat with a specialist online, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
• Email your inquiries to infocenter@LLS org. All email messages are answered within one business day.

Mission Monday: Patient Financial Aid

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)  offers a number of services free of charge for blood cancer patients, their families and caregivers.  Today the focus is on the different patient financial aid programs LLS offers patients.

A limited amount of financial assistance is available to help patients with significant financial need and who are under a doctor's care for a confirmed blood cancer diagnosis. This program is supported entirely by public contributions and patient aid funds are subject to availability.

To find out if you are eligible for the LLS Co-Pay Assistance Program, you will need to contact LLS.  For eligible patients, the Co-Pay Assistance Program may offer a larger amount of financial support for select diseases toward the cost of insurance co-payments and/or insurance premium costs for prescription drugs. Please visit the Co-pay Assistance Program for more information or to apply.

The Patient Financial Aid Program provides $100 a year to help patients offset expenses. Receipts for expenses are not required. To apply, you must be a US resident or US military personnel stationed abroad and in active treatment or ongoing medical follow-up care for a blood cancer. Your prescribing healthcare provider must complete and sign the bottom portion of the application form.  The program begins each July 1st and ends on the following June 30th. You must reapply every year after June 30th in order to receive assistance.

How to Apply:

Contact the North Texas Chapter at (972) 996-5900 to request an application
or Print, complete and return the online application: (color or black and white) to your chapter.

For more information about the Patient Financial Aid program, contact the North Texas Chapter.

For information and an application in Spanish, click here.

Freebie Friday: Meet Melissa Garner

My name is Melissa Garner, and I am the Patient Advocate Manager with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

A grant from Baylor University Medical Center funds my unique position.  I work with patients and families, providing them with information about LLS and patient services, in addition to providing education and support groups.  I am on-site at Baylor to assist with any issues a blood cancer patient, or family member, may have.

What amazes me the most about this job, and what I feel is the most rewarding aspect of it, is being able to listen to people’s stories.  I am always amazed at the strength, resilience, faith, and hope that I see each week. 

While confronting what is often the scariest event in their lives (a blood cancer diagnosis usually followed by chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant), people more often than not show just how strong they truly are.

Of course, this doesn’t mean there isn’t a great deal of pain and vulnerability that goes along with it.  It just means that people find a place within themselves to connect to faith and hope too.

This is also very true for the caregivers as well.  Just today I talked to a caregiver who said, “My husband (the patient) has always been the strong one, not me.  I never was, until now. “

She is balancing a home life, young children, and being there for her husband at the hospital.  She has been here with him since April, and this is his second go at a stem cell transplant.  She shared with me how scared she felt, but at the same time, she knew she was surrounded by a strong faith and a support system of friends.  All of this gave her strength.

I get the honor and privilege of listening to people share stories like this all the time.  I feel their stories are such gifts to anyone who hears them.  I am better for hearing them. 

I also really want people to know that we at LLS are there for them throughout their blood cancer journey.  I typically will end my visit with them saying something like this:

"Please know that LLS is in your corner and that we are here for you.   Even if it’s a year from now or sometime down the road, please know that you can always call me and we will be there for you.  Even if it’s something we can’t answer for you directly, please know we will help you find out who you can talk to.  Just know we are here for you." 

When I say this, I see their faces brighten and a real sense of relief comes over them.  I am proud to be affiliated with LLS Patient Services because being there is so important to our patients and families.

Mission Monday: First Connection Volunteer

Bill Bock with Deputy Executive Director Stacey Russell (left)
and Executive Director Patricia Thomson (right) at the 2013
Volunteer Appreciation Event.

I will always remember the moment when the doctor said "I’m afraid you have AML and it is a very serious form of leukemia". He explained that this disease was highly complex and that his hospital did not even take AML patients. In a blur, we were shuffled off to a larger facility where a new oncologist spent a goodly amount of time with treatment options and ended by saying I needed to be admitted immediately. We left with a whirlwind of terms like chemically induced remission, stem cell transplant, graft vs. host disease and many other barely understood concepts. The whole ordeal was frightening and I wept when I told my children.

The hospital stay was long and emotionally exhausting for my family. In 2005 patients were confined to one floor in an effort to avoid outside infections. I recall praying for simple things like sunshine and a light breeze on my face as I watched runners twelve stories below and wishing I could join them. Upon remission, my transplant nurse said she had found a number of potential donors and that two were considered perfect matches. Furthermore, each agreed to donate. After undergoing a second high level chemotherapy round to prepare my body for the transplant, the actual transplant process was almost anticlimactic.

The roller coaster of emotions eventually came to an end and I was released to begin the healing process.

In subsequent doctor visits I learned of The Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS)and their First Connection program and it brought back all those feelings of fear and despair. My wife and I would have loved to speak to a survivor who had experienced all this. I told myself I would get involved so that someday a man just like me would learn that this is not a death sentence and that there can be a positive outcome.

Five years and three more grandchildren later, I was pronounced cured.

Since then I have signed on as a First Connection volunteer for the North Texas Chapter and have made countless calls to newly diagnosed patients of all blood cancers. While attempting to alleviate their fears, I also make them aware of other LLS services that can help with financial, psychological and legal difficulties.


About the First Connection Program:
The Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program is a free service of LLS that enables patients and their loved ones to connect with a trained peer volunteer who has gone through a similar experience.  The program makes an average of 6,000 first connections each year.

LLS First Connection peer volunteers are in a unique position to provide support and community resource information to others facing a similar cancer diagnosis.  Patients and their family members are matched with peer volunteers.  The match is based on diagnosis, age, gender and other factors that might create a mutual understanding and ease of communication between participants and volunteers.

You can learn more here about how to take advantage of the First Connection Program in North Texas as either a volunteer or recipient.

National Volunteer Week: Patient Services

No one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another.  Thank you. 

~Author Unknown

Rhonda Baker (center) with Stacey Russell (left)
and Patricia Thomson (right)

This week is National Volunteer Week and while The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is thankful for its volunteers year round, we are taking this opportunity to highlight seven outstanding volunteers that help make the North Texas chapter run so efficiently.

For Rhonda Baker, the decision to volunteer for LLS was a no brainer.  She is a Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor who is passionate about being part of the effort to find a cure for all blood cancers.  Rhonda is involved in just about every aspect of the North Texas Chapter.  She is a long-time participant in Team In Training, Light The Night, a First Connection volunteer, a member of the Speaker's Bureau and a vital volunteer to the Patient Services Program.

For years, Rhonda has come into the office every week for several hours to put together packets to mail to newly diagnosed blood cancer patients.  When a patient is diagnosed and looking for more information about their disease and resources LLS has to offer, they send a form into the LLS office.  It is Rhonda who puts together and mails the information new patients so desperately need to learn more about their diagnosis and treatment options.  Her attention to detail ensures that patients get all of the information they need in a prompt manner.

We are thankful for Rhonda!

Mission Monday: First Connection Program

Would you like to reach out to others

diagnosed with Leukemia, Hodgkin Lymphoma,

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Myeloma or MDS?

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s

First Connection Program

connects patients and their families with individuals who have personally experienced the challenges of dealing with a diagnosis of a blood cancer.

We are currently looking for patients, parents and caregivers who

are at least one year post treatment/acute phase who want to listen

and help newly diagnosed patients understand the road ahead.

If you are interested – our next training session is

Saturday, April 6, 2013

9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

(lunch will be provided)

All interested persons must complete an application

and a short phone interview.

Space is limited – please call or email to reserve your spot.

We need patients with all blood cancer diagnosis who have been
treated within the past three to five years. We have a particular need for
parents of children with a blood cancer, patients with CLL, MDS and
multiple myeloma and caregivers of all blood cancers.

Contact:

Kim Brown - Patient Services Manager

Kim.Brown@lls.org

(972) 996-5905

Freebie Friday: Meet Kim Brown

"You have cancer." Three words I can’t imagine hearing from my doctor. What would I do? What would I tell my kids? Where would I go?

In 2006, my husband and I moved our family from the Midwest to Texas. I started a "job" at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) as the North Texas Chapter’s Patient Services Manager. We moved here to be close to my husband’s family – an amazing group to whom family means everything. His grandfather – "Papa" – had chronic lymphocytic leukemia and had been living with it for years. He was the foundation of that family – hard worker, quiet, but with a quick wit and avid Ranger’s fan. I thought he was the first person I knew who had a blood cancer. Little did I know, how many people in my life had been touched by a blood cancer. Amazing what your eyes are opened to once you look around and listen. My childhood swimming coach – multiple myeloma. A high school diving teammate – Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Other cancers too had hit our family – "Nana" fought breast cancer and WON! Uncle Steve fought pancreatic cancer and lost. My mother-in-law beat cervical cancer and melanoma. Papa’s years of cancer, treatments and side effects finally were too much and in 2008, he died. Cancer seemed to follow this family.

Late in the summer of 2007, this family’s core was rocked. "You have cancer." Those words once again hit this family. This time, my father-in-law. Lung cancer. He had surgery immediately and began chemotherapy. The chemo did not set well with him – he had all the possible side effects. He did well for about one year and then he relapsed. It hit with a vengeance. He fought. His family fought. Cancer won. On July 4, 2009, at the young age of 54, we said good-bye to an amazing father, son, brother and grandfather. Why?

Then, fall 2010, once again... "You have cancer." This time, uncle Kent. Lung cancer again. His battle was hard, but short. Cancer took him, too young at the age of 54, around Thanksgiving.

Too many losses for one family. I hate cancer. Cancer SUCKS!

My "job" at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has introduced me to some of the most amazing people you will EVER meet. Full of spirit, fight and courage. Facing unbearable obstacles, they take on cancer. They fight. Many win. Too many (any, is too many for me) do not. Many care for those who are fighting. Wives, sisters, brothers, parents, doctors and nurses. All fighting for one thing – to BEAT CANCER! Cancer changes them…it changed me.

I have the pleasure of talking to these people. I say I have a "job" at LLS, but it is much more. It is with me at all times. It is who I am. And I am proud of that person. A fighter. An advocate. A helper. Helping them find support, providing education, linking them to resources and listening. I am inspired by all those I have met. LLS has provided me with another family. One made up of amazing fighters – staff, parents, patients, families, nurses, social workers, pharmaceutical reps and doctors. We all have something in common…cancer has taken something from us and we want to stop it. We all have our place in this war. Do you? Can you join us? Do you want to beat cancer, too?

"You have cancer." Don’t be afraid of those 3 words. My "job" is to make sure you do not feel alone and to let you know someone is there fighting with you. I have the privilege of helping and comforting those with cancer today. I have the honor of fighting for cures that will change all cancers for the future.

LLS is leading the way in research, patients services and public policy. You would be amazed at what has been accomplished. But we are not done yet. There is a place here for you…and you can make a difference. Join us.

To learn more about what LLS is doing to change the world of cancer and to learn more about your disease and survivorship issues, join me on Saturday, February 28, 2013 at UTSW for the 8^th annual Lone Star Blood Cancer Conference. This conference offers a full day of education, support and inspiration. www.lls.org/ntx/lonestar

Fun facts:

I live in Prosper, TX with my husband, two sons and two dogs. I love the mountains, horseback riding, being outdoors with my family and the Texas Rangers!

Mission Monday: Your Donations at Work

For some patients with blood cancers, a bone-marrow transplant is their best treatment option. But it is difficult and risky.

A breakthrough trial in Philadelphia by Dr. Carl June is using patients' own immune systems as a safer, better option. In this LLS-funded research, doctors collect a patient's immune T cells, engineer them in the lab as "killer cells" and return them to the patient. The modified cells are trained to attack the cancer and multiply to expand the anti-cancer army.

Last week, success of this trial was heralded in the media. In this "immunotherapy" clinical trial, three adults with chronic leukemia achieved complete remissions with no signs of disease. Four other adults showed partial remissions. And a six-year-old patient diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia is now seven months in complete remission.

For blood cancer patients everywhere - LLS's drive to develop safer and more effective treatments like this immunotherapy brings hope. And your dollars are making that possible today, not someday.

Mission Monday: Targeted Therapy Research

TARGETED THERAPY RESEARCH

Discovering the molecular abnormalities that cause particular types of blood cancer has been useful

in diagnosis and risk stratification, and in new “targeted drug” development. LLS-funded

investigators have helped advance molecularly targeted treatments that can selectively kill blood

cancer cells versus normal cells. Many of these new treatments benefit not only blood cancer

patients, but also patients with other diseases. For example:

Gleevec® is FDA-approved for patients of all ages with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and

is also approved for patients with one form of acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), myelodysplastic

syndromes (MDS), myeloproliferative disorders and rare forms of stomach and skin cancers.

Related drugs, Sprycel® and Tasigna®, are approved for patients who do not benefit from

Gleevec. One or more of these drugs are also showing promise for patients with various

lymphomas, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and other

cancers, including brain, breast, head-and-neck, lung, pancreatic, and prostate cancers, and

patients with other diseases including Alzheimer’s, asthma and pulmonary hypertension.

Rituxan® was the first FDA-approved, anti-cancer antibody drug, developed for patients with

forms of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). It is now also approved for CLL patients and as

a “maintenance” therapy for follicular lymphoma patients, and showing promise for patients with

ALL and after stem cell transplantation. In addition, it is approved for treating patients with

severe rheumatoid arthritis and two other types of autoimmune diseases. A related antibody drug,

Arzerra®, is approved for CLL patients and showing wider promise.

Velcade®, Thalidomid® and Revlimid® are FDA-approved for patients with myeloma and are

also helping some patients with Hodgkin lymphoma and NHL.

Krypolis® was recently

approved for myeloma patients for whom at least two prior therapies were insufficient. One or

more of these drugs are now being tested for patients with T-cell and B-cell forms of lymphoma,

acute leukemias, as well as AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma and brain, breast, colorectal, head-andneck,

kidney, liver, lung, ovarian and prostate cancers, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Istodax®, Zolinza®, Dacogen® and Vidaza® target small chemical, “epigenetic” changes. The

first two drugs are approved for patients with peripheral T-cell lymphomas; the latter drugs are

approved for MDS patients. One or more of these drugs are being tested for patients with ALL,

AML, CML, CLL, myeloma and forms of NHL, after stem cell transplantation, and for patients

with breast, brain, kidney, colorectal, head-and-neck, lung, stomach, prostate and ovarian cancers, melanomas well as sickle cell disease and persistent HIV infections.

Mission Monday: Family Support Groups

"Was it you or I who stumbled first?  It does not matter.

The one of us who finds the strength to get up first, must help the other."

- Vera Nazarian



FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS

The Family Support Group program was established throughout the country to link patients and their families to a place where information, education, and feelings can be shared in a comfortable and caring environment.  Support groups are for those affected by blood cancer, their family members and friends, and are FREE.

All of our Family Support Groups are facilitated by credentialed health/mental health professionals who have extensive oncology and group work experience.  They are prepared to handle sensitive issues such as treatment questions, loss, guilt and family topics.

Dallas Networking Group

Co-sponsored with Cancer Support Community

Third Thursday of every month

6:30p-8p

Cancer Support Community

2710 Oak Lawn, Dallas, TX 75219

*Cancer Support Community membership is required for attendance. 

Call for details (214) 219-8877

Dine'n'Dash

Sponsored by Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center

A networking group for young adults, ages 18 and up

Third Thursday of every month

5:45-8p

For more information and to RSVP, contact JenniferR.Williams@baylorhealth.edu

All Cancer Networking Group

(Patients/Caregivers)

Co-Sponsored with Cancer Care services

Quarterly education and support sessions

Call for dates  (817) 927-0653

Cancer Care Services

623 South Henderson, Fort Worth, TX 76104

Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD) Support Group

Co-sponsored with Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer center

Meets quarterly on second Saturdays

January, April, July, October

11a-1p

Baylor Medical Center

Truett Meeting Room #2

3500 Gaston Ave., Dallas, TX 75246

*Registration required for attendance.

Call for details (214) 820-2608

Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia Dallas Support Group

Co-sponsored with the International Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia Foundation

Third Saturday of the month

January, March, May, September, November

10:30a-1p

Baylor University Medical Center

Truett Building - Lower level, Room 7

3500 Gaston Ave., Dallas, TX 75246

North Texas Myeloma Support Group (Peer Facilitated)

*Recognized by the International Myeloma Support Group

Meets the second Saturday of each month

10a-1p

Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center

ARA meeting room, 10th floor (#10105)

3410 Worth St., Dallas, TX 75246

www.northtexas.myeloma.org

Please call The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at

(972) 996-5906 or at (800) 800-6702 for group details.

Freebie Friday: Light The Night

The 2012 Light The Night Walks raised more than $1 million in North Texas for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  Did we pique your interest?  Want to learn more about this three night event?  Check out this video Aksala Productions made at the Fort Worth Walk location.  

LLS Research - Beyond Blood Cancers

Important treatment advances have been made by many LLS-funded researchers, and continue to be made, everyday. Many advances help patients even beyond those for whom the therapies were first developed.

Rituxan and Arzerra can help other patients too.
Rituxan is approved for patients with certain autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. Both agents are being tested for patients with multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases, as well as patients undergoing organ transplants.

Gleevec can help other patients too.
Gleevec is FDA-approved for treatment of patients with dermatofibrosarcoma and a rare stomach cancer. Gleevec, Sprycel and Tasigna are being tested for patients with breast, brain, head-and-neck, pancreatic, prostate, and lung cancers, and patients with melanoma, sarcoma, and other diseases including Alzheimer’s, asthma and pulmonary hypertension.

VELCADE can help other patients too.
VELCADE trials are also ongoing for patients with brain, breast, colorectal, kidney, and lung cancers as well as in organ transplantation.

Thalidomid and Revlimid can help other patients too.
Clinical trials are ongoing for patients with Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma, and patients with bladder, brain, head-and-neck, liver, ovarian, and prostate cancers.

Dacogen®and Vidaza®can help other patients too.
Other clinical trials are ongoing for patients with breast, colorectal, kidney, lung, and prostate cancers as well as sickle cell disease.

Blood cancers are the #3 cancer killer in the U.S., behind only lung and gastrointestinal cancers. But in 2012, less than 1 in 10 new cancer diagnoses will be a blood cancer. And, there are many rare subtypes of leukemias, lymphomas and myelomas.

Despite these corporate disincentives, about 1/4 (225) of more than 900 new treatments in clinical testing by companies (as of 06.12) are being tested as treatments for blood cancer patients!

Many of these drugs will help patients with a variety of diagnoses, owing to shared molecular targets, and many of the targets were advanced by LLS-funded investigators.  If you know someone diagnosed with any form of cancer, they are likely being helped in some way from LLS research.