The Blood Cancer Experience

Living with a chronic blood cancer can bring uncertainty, questions and a need for support that lasts well beyond diagnosis. In this episode, Nelly shares her experience living with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), offering an honest look at treatment, side effects and daily life (including raising her three sons.) Joined by hematologist Dr. Lynn Savoie, we explore chronic blood cancers like CML an...

CAR T-cell therapy is a last line of treatment for some blood cancers that resist other treatments. A form of personalized medicine, CAR-T is saving lives like that of single parent Camille Leahy, diagnosed in 2020 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Her cancer returned after chemotherapy, radiation, and stem cell transplantation, and CAR-T saved her life. Camille shares her experience in thi...

"I'm an example of what can be done for someone with multiple myeloma," says David Johnson, of B.C., first diagnosed with the disease in 2012 in his early 50s. Having had 2 relapses, 2 stem cell transplants, and participated in a clinical trial for CAR T-cell therapy, David is in remission today. He helps others in the blood cancer community by volunteering for couple of programs at...

Graft vs Host Disease, known as GvHD, is a side effect of a life-saving procedure. People who undergo an allogeneic stem cell transplant - where a donor's stem cells are transplanted into the recipient - can experience either acute or chronic GvHD. Listen to blood cancer survivor Libby Goszer who shares her coping strategies for living with chronic GvHD, a condition she describes as "a continual r...

It may be the first time you've talked about your blood cancer, since your diagnosis, with anyone outside immediate family, or it may be after years of living with cancer... Either way, the LLSC community services lead in your region is ready to listen and support you in any way you need. Geoffrey Molle, one of those leads, talks about the confidential, safe space he creates for anyone impacte...

Tziona Lugasi, clinical psychologist in the hemato-oncology department at CHU Sainte-Justine, talks about the impact of cancer on children, teens and their parents, and the transition from pediatric care to adult health care. Are you a parent of a child with a blood cancer? Find more resources on the LLSC website at: https://www.bloodcancers.ca/i-care-someone-blood-cancer/blood-cancers-kids-teens-...

Maura C. had recently returned to work after maternity leave when her daughter, then 15 months old, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and immediately admitted to the oncology ward. “This is a nightmare I’m not waking up from,” Maura thought over the 5 months her toddler was in the hospital. She says she and her husband moved from their initial “fight-or-flight” mode, to chronic anxie...

The emotional cost of caregiving when a loved one has a blood cancer is no small matter – as Saskatchewan’s Lori Galbraith can attest. The mother of four was the caregiver of her husband Jim, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and underwent a stem cell transplant. “The hardest part was providing positive emotional support [to my husband] when I was worried and wondering if I’d eve...

The term, “palliative approach to care” refers to a person-centered, holistic approach including emotional, spiritual, social and psychological care, offered by a larger team of healthcare professionals (beyond doctors and nurses) and introduced earlier in a cancer experience for full integration into an individual’s care plan. Valerie Fiset, director of the Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Progr...

Researchers are focused on maintaining an excellent cure rate in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and minimizing some of the treatment individuals receive – reduce the number of cycles of chemotherapy or avoid radiation, and looking at new drugs to improve the cure rate for others with DLBCL. Join us as we chat with Dr. John Kuruvilla, working as a hematologist-oncologist for 20 years (curren...

Dr. Rena Buckstein from Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto shares the basics of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) diagnosis, treatment, and side effects. In Canada, it is estimated that up to 5,900 new cases of MDS are diagnosed each year - most often in older adults. There are two main types of MDS: primary (de novo) and secondary MDS. The treatment for MDS varies according to the type and stage of th...

Mayra Husic shares her experience with Follicular Lymphoma.

Dr. Philip Kuruvilla, hematologist-oncologist at the William Osler Health Centre at the Brampton Civic Hospital in Brampton, Ontario talks about chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL): Current treatment options, potential side effects and how to manage those side effects. CLL is the most common type of leukemia in adults. For more information about CLL, visit: https://www.bloodcancers.ca/I-Have-a-bloo...

Dr. Tobias Berg, an associate professor and researcher from McMaster University explains maintenance therapy as a treatment option for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the factors that influence the decision to start this type of treatment. Maintenance therapy is treatment given after the first (primary) therapy used to manage your cancer, or to stop it from coming back. Some people may use mainte...

What started as a normal trip to the cottage ended up leading Tom to take a trip to the hospital- where he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome. Tom shares his blood cancer experience and how learning about his diagnosis, staying positive, and staying active are what helped him through the difficult times of treatment.

Rachel Sutherland is an Indigenous Patient Navigator at the London Regional Cancer Program and Dr. Samantha Boshart is a Family Physician who is also the Regional Indigenous Cancer Lead for the Southwest Regional Cancer Program. In this podcast, both experts discuss the unique challenges experienced by the Indigenous Community in Cancer Care and the efforts that our hospitals are taking to ensure...

Alyssa Brandone was 11 years old when she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. In this podcast episode, Alyssa shares her experience with a pediatric blood cancer and how the support of her family and friends helped her overcome the challenges of integrating back into “normal” life after treatment.  

In this episode of our AYA podcast series, Sukant Sharma shares his experience balancing work, side effects, and his personal life after being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

After being diagnosed with leukemia at 21 years old, Shae-Lynn Way shares her experience with shifting her mindset while preparing for a second stem cell transplant after her leukemia returned.

Originally thought to be a locked muscle from exercise, Michelle Burleigh shockingly discovered that she had a rare form of Acute Leukemia. In this podcast, Michelle recounts her experience being diagnosed with APL, revealing how her sudden diagnosis taught her about finding perspective, slowing down, and making the most of each day despite living with uncertainty.

Blood cancer survivor Meredith, 26, talks about her love life after stage 2 Hodgkin's lymphoma. She was diagnosed at age 18 and in university. A love life can be positively or negatively affected if one of the partners is diagnosed with cancer. Meeting a new partner following the disease could also cause several concerns. How to discuss changes in the relationship with your partner? How to dea...

Eric Pesarchuk, 36, survivor of B-cell lymphoma diagnosed in 2021 who underwent 2 spinal surgeries, 11 rounds of radiation and 5 months of chemotherapy. He had to learn to walk again - and today is in remission. He lives with wife, their 5 year old daughter, in British Columbia. Being affected by cancer at the beginning of the adult life often forces to put various projects on hold. The impacts of...

Jacqueline Galica an oncology-certified Registered Nurse with over 20 years of experience in oncology. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the Queen’s University School of Nursing, where her research program focuses on the psychosocial concerns – including fears of cancer recurrence - of post-treatment cancer survivors.

It was a surgery for a rare congenital heart defect that lead Grace's doctors to shockingly discovered her stage II Hodgkin's Lymphoma. In this episode of the AYA podcast series, Grace discuss the realities of isolation and survivor's guilt that come with achieving remission after a blood cancer diagnosis as a young adult.

Join Charlotte Hall-Coates and Natasha Sani as they discuss the role of a Community Services Lead in providing personalized support to those in the blood cancer community. In this podcast, Charlotte and Natasha highlight the individualized support available to you through the Community Services Lead in your region and how they can help you through each step of your blood cancer experience.