Facts about Blood Cancers

• Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are cancers that originate in the bone marrow or lymphatic tissue as the result of an acquired genetic injury to the DNA or a single cell, which becomes malignant and multiplies continuously. This abnormal accumulation interferes with the production of healthy blood cells.

• An estimated 747,465 Americans are living with blood cancers.

• Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children and young adults under the age of 20.

• Non-hodgkin lymphoma is the fifth most common cancer in the United States.

• Overall five-year survival for myeloma is approximately 32%, making it the most difficult blood cancer to treat.

• New cases of leukemia will strike 30,800 people in the United States this year. While leukemia is often thought of as a disease that strikes children, adults are diagnosed with it ten times more than children. The most common types of leukemia are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) sometimes called acute non-lymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Relentless for a Cure

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is working as part of a broad coalition of cancer organizations to support the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) goal of eliminating cancer death and suffering by the year 2015.
Your assistance is needed in this effort. There is currently a resolution in the House of Representatives, House Concurrent. Resolution 210, that expresses the will of Congress on how important this 2015 goal is to the American people.

Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s nationwide evening Walk to build awareness of blood cancers and raise funds for cures. Walkers carry illuminated balloons-white for survivors and red for supporters-to celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer.

Funds raised by participants support the Society’s mission: cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Please join the effort to cure blood cancers and Light The Night with hope and help for thousands.

You can help, too!

As quilters/fiber artists we can do our, little bit, too. Please consider supporting Fiberart for a Cause. For more information, click on the link below:

Consider also donating specifically to help find a cure and/or support  Leukemia and Lymphoma patients. Donate to:

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

The Max Foundation

Useful links: (links will open in new window)

Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma, Facts 2005-2006, June 2005:
Free materials about Leukemia & Lymphoma
Cancer.com ( a comprehensive listing of Web sites for those whose lives are touched by cancer)
Personalized Cause (awareness pins and bracelets, with very complete color/cause guide)