Survivorship - The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast

Join us as we speak to Heidi MacAlpine, a chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patient and occupational therapist. In this episode, Heidi talks to us about her diagnosis of CLL and how she has utilized wellness techniques to reduce inflammation and maintain a good quality of life while on a watch and wait protocol. 

This episode will help patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals understand the benefits of adding wellness practices to conventional therapies, such as yoga, mindfulness, journaling, and massage, to decrease side effects and improve the life of patients following a cancer diagnosis. 

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
• Watch and Wait (Active Monitoring) protocol
• LLS Write It Out Journal
• Genetic predisposition to CLL
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• Patient-Doctor Perspectives: Shared Decision Making podcast episode
• Shared Decision Making in Chronic Leukemias interactive program
• American Association for Cancer Research
• Interleukin 8
• Caregiver support

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• LLS Financial Assistance Program
• LLS Community 
• Online chats 
• Support groups 
• Caregiver Workbook
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

Support for this episode provided by: BeiGene USA, Inc.; Bristol Myers Squibb; Genentech, Inc. & Biogen; Loxo Oncology at Lilly and Pharmacyclics, An AbbVie Company & Janssen Biotech.

The post Improving Quality of Life Through Wellness Practices first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak to lymphoma patient, Leona, her husband and caregiver, Howell, and Tia Newcomer, the CEO of CaringBridge®. In this episode, Leona and Howell discuss the benefits of utilizing patient and caregiver support resources like the online journaling site, CaringBridge, to communicate with loved ones after Leona’s diagnosis. They were comforted that the site also afforded the opportunity for family members and friends to engage and give them support.

Tia then shares the mission of CaringBridge and how it has evolved into a community of over one million pages where patients and caregivers communicate their updates and needs with family members from diagnosis through survivorship.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• CaringBridge®
• Diffuse Large B Lymphoma
• MealTrain
• Write for Life: Persisting in Online Health Communities through Expressive Writing and Social Support
• Caregiver support 
• Caregiver Workbook

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• LLS Community 
• Online chats 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• Survivorship Workbook

The post Engaging with Loved Ones: A CaringBridge Story first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Please join us for a brand new series called, Community Outreach In The Field, where our field correspondents, comprised of LLS Staff, will be interviewing health advocates, patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals in the communities in which they serve. These episodes will give the listener the feel that they are right in the middle of the action.

In the first episode, Bryon Daily, the National Community Outreach Manager for LLS’ Myeloma Link Program, explored one of the newest outreach settings called Blood and Chess. This chess event took place in Atlanta, Georgia, at The Anguished Barber and is designed as an off shoot of the barbershop model, where advocates can spread blood cancer awareness in comfortable community settings and help to decrease healthcare disparities of underserved communities.

Mentioned on this episode: 

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

Support for this episode provided by Genentech, Inc. and Biogen

The post Community Outreach In The Field: Blood and Chess Atlanta first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Please join us for our second live episode from CancerCon®, a young adult cancer conference presented by Stupid Cancer®. In this episode, we’ll be speaking with experts who discussed survivorship planning, imposter syndrome, and developing a growth mindset.

Cancer patients and survivors of all ages, whether newly diagnosed, in treatment or post-treatment, can benefit from hearing from these experts.

Be sure to tune into the previous episode from CancerCon, where we hear from young adult cancer patients and survivors on what the word, “survivorship” means to them and how that meaning may have changed throughout their cancer experience.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Survivorship Definition – National Cancer Institute
• Survivorship Workbook
• Young Adult Online Chat
• Young Adult Resources
• Stupid Cancer®
• National Cancer Institute Cancer Centers
• Grow Into Greatness
• First Descents®

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy

The post LIVE! at CancerCon: Navigating Young Adult Cancer first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Please join us for this special episode live from CancerCon®, a young adult cancer conference presented by Stupid Cancer®. In this episode, we’ll be speaking with patients and survivors about what the word, “survivorship” means to them.

We found the responses to this question can vary from patient to patient and even change once treatment ends. We hope that through their words, listeners will find a sense of connection and evaluate their own meaning of survivorship.

Be sure to stay tuned for the next episode from CancerCon, where we will be hearing from experts who presented on various aspects of survivorship, such as the growth mindset, creating a survivorship plan, and imposter syndrome.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Survivorship Definition – National Cancer Institute
• Survivorship Workbook
• Young Adult Online Chat
• Stupid Cancer
• LLS Dare to Dream
• Stem Cell Transplant
• Be The Match
• Armenian Bone Marrow Registry

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy

The post LIVE! At CancerCon: A Journey Through Survivorship first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak to Damion Davis, a myeloma patient and licensed professional counselor. In this episode, Damion talks about his myeloma diagnosis and how he reached remission after a stem cell transplant. Dealing with the difficulty of a cancer diagnosis as a husband and father of young daughters, Damion knew the benefits that therapy would provide for him and his family. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, we share his story of resilience, highlighting the importance of mental health care for cancer patients and their families. 

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Multiple Myeloma
• Stem Cell Transplant
• Autologous Stem Cell Transplant
• Parenting Resources
• Mental Health Resources
• Additional Mental Health and Crisis Resources
• Survivorship Workbook

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Financial support
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy

Support for this episode provided by Genentech, Inc & Biogen; GlaxoSmithKline; and Janssen Oncology.

The post Mental Health and Myeloma: A Story of Resilience first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak with Charles Huang and Dr. Gabriel Mannis in honor of AML Awareness Day (April 21st). In this episode, Charles tells us about his treatment for AML, participation in clinical trials, and shares about his struggle to find a bone marrow donor as an Asian Pacific Islander. Charles then turned his struggle into legislation to make it easier to join a bone marrow donor registry to save lives. Dr. Mannis, of Stanford Medicine, shares about the latest advances in AML research, from clinical trials in Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) therapy to medications that reduce graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). With research advancing quickly in the field of AML treatment, patients and caregivers are given reasons to have hope after the uncertainty of a diagnosis.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Acute Myeloid Leukemia
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)
• Minimal/Measurable Residual Disease
• CAR T-cell Therapy
• Stem Cell Transplant
• Graft-Vs-Host-Disease (GVHD)
• Charlie’s Law
• Be The Match – Bone Marrow Donor Registry
• LLS Advocacy & Public Policy
• Innovative Therapies in Acute Leukemias podcast episode

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Information Specialists
• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Free booklets 
• Financial support
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Myeloma Link
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program 
• Young Adult Resources
• Survivorship Workbook

Support for this episode provided by Astellas and Genentech, Inc & Biogen.

The post Patient-Doctor Perspectives: Hope in the Uncertainty of AML first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Bonus Content! Go to the Subscriber Lounge to see what Gregory has been up to since this episode in our new After the Podcast segment.

Join us as we speak to Gregory Proctor, a myeloma patient, and Erica Ali, the Senior Manager of Copay and Patient Financial Assistance Programs at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In this episode, Gregory shares his story of his diagnosis with myeloma in July 2021 and how he has benefited from the LLS Copay Program, which provided financial support for his treatment. Erica discusses all of the financial programs that LLS has to support patients, what the funds cover, and how to apply for these programs. LLS Financial assistance improves patients’ access to care and is accessible to patients of all blood cancer diagnoses when funding is available.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Multiple Myeloma
• Financial support
• Kut2ThaChase Podcast

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Information Specialists
• Free booklets 
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy

The post LLS Financial Assistance: How We Can Help first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak with Donnie Hill, a chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) / small cell lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) patient and his doctor, James Essell, MD, of Oncology Hematology Care, Inc. in Cincinnati, OH. In this episode, Donnie and Dr. Essell discuss the importance of shared decision making (SDM) and how they worked together to determine the best treatment course for Donnie’s CLL/SLL. Shared decision making is a key component of patient-centered healthcare that balances risks and expected outcomes with patient preferences and values. Be sure to tune into this real-world example of how SDM works and how patients can have open communication with their healthcare team.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
• Small Cell Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL)
• Shared Decision Making Fact Sheet
• Shared Decision Making in Chronic Leukemias immersive program
• Anxiety and Hope: Living with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) podcast episode
• Minimal/Measurable Residual Disease
• Information Specialists

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Clinical Trial Support Center
• Free booklets 
• Financial support
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy
• LLS Myeloma Link

Support for this episode provided by AbbVie Inc. and Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group.

The post Patient-Doctor Perspectives: Shared Decision Making first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.

Join us as we speak to Dr. Lorna McNeill, a Professor and Associate Director for Health Disparities and Community Outreach at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, along with a special guest from our LLS Patient and Community Outreach team, Erika Pomares. In this episode, Dr. McNeill shares how people of color, particularly African Americans, have disproportionate rates of cancer incidence and death, but are also more likely to face racial bias in healthcare and clinical trials. She offers potential solutions to improve the healthcare outcomes for these underserved communities. Dr. McNeill and Erika also discuss the importance of community outreach, and how programs, like LLS’s Myeloma Link, have improved access to care and trust in the medical community.

Mentioned on this episode: 

• Myeloma Link
• Center for Community Engaged Translational Research
• The Black-White Gap in Blood Cancer Outcomes – Medical News Today
• National Institutes of Health Requirement for Women in Research
• Facial Racial Disparities As A Black Disabled Patient – Podcast Episode
• 100 Black Men of America organization
• Understanding Racial and Health Disparities in Healthcare (Dr. Steven Thomas)
• LLS Public Policy & Advocacy
• Clinical Trial Support Center

Additional LLS Support Resources: 

• Free telephone/web patient programs 
• Patti Robinson Kaufmann First Connection Program
• Information Specialists
• Free booklets 
• Financial support
• Online chats 
• Caregiver support 
• LLS Community 
• Support groups 
• Free Nutrition Consultations 
• LLS Advocacy

Support for this episode provided by Genentech, Inc. and Biogen; Pharmacyclics, An AbbVie Company & Janssen Biotech.

The post Addressing Racial Health Disparities Through Community Outreach first appeared on The Bloodline with Blood Cancer United Podcast.