It was fall 2022, and I was living my BEST life. It was my first year as a stay at home mom after teaching for nine years. The prior school year I had this revelation that I should be spending more time with my OWN children as life goes by too quickly. My three kids kept me busy & I wouldn’t have it any other way! But then, right before Thanksgiving at the age of 32, I went to urgent care due to shortness of breath and chest pain. I assumed I had Covid19 or a respiratory infection, but sadly that wasn’t the case. I was directed to go to the ER where they found a tumor the size of a baseball in my chest. This caused my heart to shift and fluid to build up around my lungs making my breathing difficult. I was devastated! I had already beaten cancer once back in 2018 while pregnant with my second daughter, and I thought that this can’t be happening again! Days later I had a PET scan and a biopsy where the news got worse. It wasn’t my thyroid cancer returning, instead it was a rare, aggressive cancer. T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, a cancer that takes YEARS to treat. December 2nd I started my first round of chemo. I was being treated as an inpatient, and that week spent in the hospital away from my kids was absolutely treacherous. After meeting with specialists I decided to change my treatment at the beginning of 2023 to a pediatric protocol. I am still undergoing treatment due to the aggressive nature of T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma as it can spread with vengeance. As of July 6th it has spread to the nerves in my face so radiation is the next step.

Taylor Swift ERAS Tour

Family trip to Disney or really any family trip

Tricia’s LifeList:

1. Tickets to Taylor Swift Concert

2. Family Trip

I’m 24 years old and was diagnosed with leukemia on October 17th of 2022. I originally went to urgent care for a hand injury and because my older sister told me I looked VERY pale I was very fatigued and sleepy. I brushed it off and thought I was just tired, but to my surprise I was hit with the horrible news that it was leukemia. My worst nightmare became a reality. I often imagined this would happen since my older sister, who was 19 at the time, passed away from osteosarcoma after a four year battle. I was only ten at the time but still remember the pain and anguish it caused my whole family. So you can only imagine how I took the news – I was in very bad shape physically and mentally. I urgently needed blood transfusions and a week later started my very long intense consolidation chemo treatment. After seven months of back to back chemo, spinal taps, bone marrow biopsy, trips to the emergency room, simple colds that can almost be deadly, and more blood transfusions, it felt endless and with no stop in sight.

Finally in May I got the great news, I was in remission. I felt I could breathe a little easier but still need a bone marrow transplant. I was put on maintenance chemo for about two months due to my high risk of relapse. I realize I still have a long road in front of me, but I am excited and thankful I have the opportunity to have the transplant, and the support my family has provided.

Sandi’s LifeList:

1. Travel

I am currently 33 years old. I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia  on November 28th of 2022. I was admitted to the hospital directly from the ER where I was diagnosed and started my first round of chemo less than a week later. I’ve received several rounds of chemo, including 7+3 and MEC, and am currently in remission awaiting a bone marrow transplant. The current plan is for a bone marrow transplant within the next few weeks. There is not a set date yet as we are still working on scheduling the donor and the other pieces.

Sandi’s LifeList:

1. Travel

I spent 10 years seeing doctor after doctor with no help or a diagnosis. I knew there was something wrong with my body. I finally found a doctor in 2016 that listened to me and diagnosed me with endometrial cancer. I started on hormonal therapy for a few years then I had to have a hysterectomy in 2018 at the age of 26. In 2019, I had a recurrence and did 56 treatments of radiation. In 2022, I had a third recurrence. This time, I found out that my cancer is treatable but not curable. I am currently in chemotherapy treatment. 

Samantha’s LifeList:

1. Beach Trip with Her Mom

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021, I was 30 years old at the time. I did a year of chemotherapy. I had a break in between due to transportation issues but I continued and finished January 2023. I had a double mastectomy. I have an upcoming surgery and I’m currently on monthly injections and daily inhibitors.

Janquetta’s LifeList:

1. Back to School Clothes and Shoes for Her Children

2. Fix Her Car

Ezequia was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at 19 years old, shortly after he immigrated to the United States from Nicaragua. He moved from Florida to California to be closer to family who helped him access medical care and doctors  found a tumor on his leg to be osteosarcoma in August of 2022. He started intensive chemotherapy and then had surgery in March of 2023 to amputate his left leg above the knee, and then resumed chemotherapy. He had a good response on the tumor on his leg with chemo and resection. He is scheduled for surgery on his lungs to remove a few nodules and then will re-evaluate post-surgery, hopefully not requiring more chemotherapy.

Ezequia’s LifeList:

1. A PS5 and Games

2. Scooters

Hello, my name is Cynthia!  I’m a 31 year old mother of a two-year-old little girl. I was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer on January 11, 2023. I am also a BRCA 1 genetic mutation carrier. In February 2023 I started treatment. I underwent 9 cycles of chemotherapy. We found out that the chemotherapy wasn’t working so I went into emergency surgery. On June 9, I had a bilateral mastectomy with 6 lymph nodes removed. Cancer has been tough to say the least, but it also has changed my perspective on life in a positive way. I definitely appreciate every moment with my family even more.

I’m currently recovering from surgery. My next steps for treatment are six weeks of radiation. I will then be given chemotherapy through pill form. Once I complete that, I will have an oophorectomy.

Cynthia’s LifeList:

1. A Stay at a Disneyland Resort During Christmas

In 2017, at the age of 12, I was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. I completed treatment and received a bone marrow transplant from my sister, Grace. Then in 2021, at the age of 16, I was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma and had a tumor on my rib. I completed nine months of chemo treatment and had surgery to remove three ribs. Then in 2023, at the age of 18, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, which was a result of my therapy related treatment for Ewing Sarcoma. I completed chemo treatment in June of 2023 and recently received a bone marrow transplant from my brother, Joey.

Sam’s LifeList:

1. Tickets to the NCAA Basketball Final Four in Phoenix

2. Flights and Hotel in Phoenix

I was diagnosed with stage 4B Hodgkin’s lymphoma on February 22, 2022. This diagnosis was a long time coming. I spent six months going to various doctors trying to figure out what was wrong. However, due to my age and relatively good health, none of the doctors suspected cancer and never looked down that path. When I was diagnosed, I was in the middle of my masters program. I was given two options: drop out with no refund or push through and finish. I decided to finish.

In June of 2022, I graduated with my masters in Learning and Technology. I went through  six months of chemo and initially had a good response to the treatment. Chemo was biweekly, so I decided to continue working as a high school special education teacher. The kids gave me a reason to keep fighting. In August 2022, I finished all 12 doses of my chemo and went in for a PET scan. My scan showed new activity, so I had to undergo two surgery biopsies to determine if it was cancer. Both came back negative, so my oncologist decided to wait three months for more scans and said, “this won’t kill you”. In January of this year, I was able to get yet another scan, and this time there was more activity. It was pretty concerning. I was transferred to the transplant team and did two more biopsies to get a positive diagnosis of cancer again. In April of 2023, I started a weekly chemo for six weeks. The goal is to get me in remission and then move onto a stem cell transplant.

Peggy’s LifeList:

1. iPad Pro and Accessories

2. Wireless Studio Beats Headphones

3. Barnes and Noble Gift Card

On April 8th. 2022, at the age of 24, I was diagnosed with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. I was having severe abdominal pain and went to the emergency room where they discovered a 14 cm mass on my liver. Just weeks later, 75% of my liver was resected and I was considered to be in remission with no further indications of cancer cells present. Then, in December of 2022, further scans revealed a lymph node where there was more cancer. That was resected during my second surgery in February of 2023. Since then, three new masses were found within my chest and abdomen. I did two rounds of chemotherapy in April 2023 before beginning a clinical trial with Johns Hopkins in May 2023.

Michael’s LifeList:

1. A Guided Healing Trip for Me and a Friend