Episodes

Join us in this next installment of our series, Patient-Doctor Perspectives, where we explore a diagnosis from the view of a patient and doctor. To celebrate the 100th episode of The Bloodline with LLS, we will be speaking with Mel Mann, a chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) survivor and Dr. Brian Druker, a physician researcher at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). Mel shares how Dr. Druker’s research saved his life with the drug, Gleevec®, and we get to hear his inspirational message of how ...

Join us for our special series where we focus on parent caregivers of young adults with cancer. In this series we will be listening in on a conversation between a social worker and parent caregiver as they navigate the various stages of the young adult cancer journey – diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment survivorship, and the young adult moving back home. In this fourth episode of this series, Sage Bolte, PhD, LCSW, CST, will talk with parent caregiver, Lisa Dominisse about the experience of c...

Join us for our special series where we focus on parent caregivers of young adults with cancer. In this series we will be listening in on a conversation between a social worker and parent caregiver as they navigate the various stages of the young adult cancer journey – diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment survivorship, and the young adult moving back home. In this third episode of this series, Sage Bolte, PhD, LCSW, CST, will talk with parent caregiver, Lisa Dominisse about the experience of ca...

Join us for our special series where we focus on parent caregivers of young adults with cancer. In this series we will be listening in on a conversation between a social worker and parent caregiver as they navigate the various stages of the young adult cancer journey – diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment survivorship, and the young adult moving back home. In this second episode of the series, Sage Bolte, PhD, LCSW, CST, will talk with parent caregiver, Lisa Dominisse about the experience of ca...

Join us for our special series where we focus on parent caregivers of young adults with cancer. In this series we will be listening in on a conversation between a social worker and parent caregiver as they navigate the various stages of the young adult cancer journey – diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment survivorship, and the young adult moving back home. In the first episode of this series, Sage Bolte, PhD, LCSW, CST, will talk with parent caregiver, Lisa Dominisse about the experience of car...

Join us in this next installment of our series, Patient-Doctor Perspectives, where we explore a diagnosis from the view of a patient and doctor. In this episode, we speak to Dr. Larry Saltzman, a Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) survivor and physician researcher and Dr. Steven Coutre from Stanford Medicine. Dr. Larry shares his experience living with CLL, participating in LLS Team In Training events, and his current work with LLS studying patient outcomes and COVID-19 vaccine antibody response...

Nikki Steltenkamp Join us as we speak to Nikki Steltenkamp, a young adult, non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor. Nikki, an engineer, was 24 years old when she was diagnosed with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. In this episode, we hear about her intense treatments that finished up just as the world was entering a global pandemic. She also shares her experiences with mental health, fertility preservation and her podcast, That 6-Letter Word. DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE to participate in our epis...

Grzegorz (Greg) Nowakowski, MD Join us as we speak to Dr. Grzegorz (Greg) Nowakowski, a physician researcher and Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who also leads the Mayo Clinic Aggressive Lymphoma program. In this episode, Dr. Nowakowski discusses clinical trials for lymphoma patients, including recent advancements and how clinical trials work. He also discusses the benefits and common misconceptions of clinical trials. This episode is a must listen for patients...

Join us as we speak to Dr. Caron Jacobson, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a lymphoma physician and researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In this episode, Dr. Jacobson shares about the use and benefits of CAR T-cell therapy in B-cell cancers, such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). You will hear about how CAR T-cell therapy works, why it is used for B-cell cancers and the benefits...

Join us as we speak with Chelsea Brickham, a transgender model, actress, and professional cosplayer who was diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013. In this episode, Chelsea shares with us what it was like to go through cancer as a transgender female, the reaction from her family and friends, and how she maintained her femininity during treatment. Since her treatment, she has been active in spreading awareness of LGBTQ+ issues at comic conventions and on social media. DOWNLOAD TRANSCRI...

Join us as we speak with David Wallace, a polycythemia vera (PV) patient and advocate. In this episode, David shares how he struggled to get his diagnosis, advocated to get the treatment he needed, and finally how he found a specialist that was able to treat his PV. He used his struggles to create the website, PV Reporter and nonprofit, MPN Cancer Connection, to educate patients about their disease, help them find resources, and increase awareness of MPNs. David encourages all patients to become...

Join us as we speak to Alex Okafor, a defensive end with the Kansas City Chiefs. Alex lost his mother to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2020. In this episode, Alex talks about his mother’s short battle with AML and the difficulties his family faced receiving this diagnosis during a global pandemic. Following his mother’s death, Alex found a new determination to make his mother proud and continue her legacy in fighting against racial injustice and creating a better society for the black communit...

Join us as we speak with Jan White, a survivor and thriver of Stage IV Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. In this episode, Jan shares her story of how she went from facing immediate paralysis and death to using her experience to advocate for patients. She became a legislative advocate for LLS, started a website to share her experience, and has participated in numerous national conferences in support of cancer patients and healthcare access. DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE to participate in our episode survey...

Frank Dalichow, MD and Johanna DiMento, MD Join us as we speak to Dr. Johanna DiMento and Dr. Frank Dalichow, oncologists at the first cancer center on a reservation in the United States. In this episode, the doctors share about the realities of cancer care for Native American communities. They also discuss how they were able to bring cancer care to the Navajo and Hopi tribes, and the importance of inclusivity and culturally appropriate care for this population. [photo credit: Brandy Tomhave] ...

William Yank Join us as we speak to William Yank, a 23-year-old, three-time Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) survivor. In this episode, we hear about the variety of treatments William went through, his relapses and then subsequent stem cell transplant. Now one year out of transplant, he shares about his post-cancer journey – going viral on TikTok, becoming the face of the LLS Giving Tuesday campaign and then starting a podcast with another Young Adult Cancer survivor. DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT CLI...

Join us as we speak to Dr. Lori Muffly and Dr. Matthew Frank from Stanford Medicine in Stanford, CA, about the recent advancements in testing for Minimal/Measurable Residual Disease (MRD). In this episode, we delve into what MRD is, which blood cancers testing is currently used on, and how we can utilize it to more accurately monitor patients and customize treatment. The doctors also share exciting possibilities on how MRD and other testing can benefit patients in the future. DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIP...

Join us as we start a brand new series, Patient-Doctor Perspectives, where we explore a diagnosis from the view of a patient and doctor. In this episode, we speak to Ashley Cámara, a Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) survivor and advocate and Dr. Lucy Godley from The University of Chicago Medicine. Ashley shares her story of having two MDS diagnoses in her family – first her brother and then herself. Dr. Godley then delves deeper into inherited myeloid malignancies and how genetic links may lead t...

Join us as we report from the 2020 Virtual CancerCon and speak to Kyle Benner, a young adult survivor of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), and Nikki Yuill, a social worker with the LLS Information Resource Center. In this episode, we discuss young adult cancer (15-39 yrs) and what happens from diagnosis through survivorship. Learn about the unique issues that young adults face and how LLS is here to help them through. DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE to participate in our episode survey. Menti...

Ola Ojewumi Join us as we speak to Ola Ojewumi, a patient and health advocate with Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD), a type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. In this episode, Ola tells us about the difficulties she has faced as a Black disabled woman with chronic pain. She shares her experiences with racism and inequities in healthcare and how she has learned to advocate for herself and others. DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT CLICK HERE to participate in our episode survey. Mentioned on this ep...

Christabel Cheung, PhD, MSW Join us for Part Two of a special two-part series as we speak to Dr. Christabel Cheung, a two-time Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivor. In this episode, Christabel talks about her extraordinary struggles as a young adult with cancer, such as living alone without family support and having high healthcare costs. She also delves into the health disparities, racism and racial insensitivity that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) patients experience. Be sure to listen to Pa...

Christabel Cheung, PhD, MSW Join us for a special two-part episode as we speak to Dr. Christabel Cheung, a two-time Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivor. In Part One, Christabel tells us about her longtime journey with lymphoma, including a relapse and going through the second diagnosis during a global pandemic. She shares her struggles of not only a diagnosis, where she is in the small percentage that didn’t respond to first-line treatment, but also going through cancer as a racial minority and young adu...

Join us as we speak with Shelly Rosenfeld, Esq. from the Cancer Legal Resource Center and Dr. Steven Pergam from Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Ms. Rosenfeld and Dr. Pergam presented at CancerCon during a session called, “Understanding Medical Marijuana: It’s a Joint Effort”. In this episode, our speakers dive into the various forms of marijuana, how they can be used to combat side effects of cancer treatment, and the legal issues surrounding their use throughout the United States. DOWNLOAD TRAN...

Laurie Sehn, MD, MPH Join us as we report on the latest developments in immunotherapy from the 62nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition that was hosted virtually December 5-8, 2020. In this episode, we will be speaking to Dr. Laurie Sehn, a Clinical Professor and Researcher with the British Columbia Cancer Centre for Lymphoid Cancer and The University of British Columbia. Immunotherapy was a primary topic at this year’s ASH meeting. Dr. Sehn shares exciting news a...

Courtney DiNardo, MD, MSCE Join us as we speak to Dr. Courtney DiNardo from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. about the recent advancements in AML treatment. Dr. DiNardo is an academic clinical researcher who has participated in clinical trials resulting in three new AML therapies since 2017. In this episode, we dive into the new treatments that are showing great promise, as well as discuss how AML can be hereditary. With recent results of the Beat AML Master Clinical Trial, the increas...