Welcome to the Second 2019 Issue of The CLL Society Tribune
Welcome to the CLL Society Tribune!
There is Beauty All Around Us
The CLL Society is dedicated to providing a wealth of information and resources as we (patients or caregivers) battle chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This important information is often related to the technical aspects of our disease, the latest research in search of a cure, and how others are experiencing their CLL patient or caregiver role. With all this valuable information, however, it can become overwhelming and we can become too focused on the disease and forget the beauty that is not only all around us, but within us as well. It’s often said that healing comes through the balance of mind, body, and spirit. With that perspective, we begin a new feature within our “Living Well with CLL” section of the CLL Tribune. We hope to feature in each issue at least one artistic expression created by a CLL patient or caregiver. We trust that these creative pieces will enrich you as you continue in your CLL journey.
If you or a loved one has been helped by the CLL Society, please consider making a donation.
Janet Morrison
Living Well With CLL
Wish me Ill? Beginning CAR-T Therapy
By Chris Mantei – Patient
My CLL journey began in August of 2010. My husband and I just got back from a vacation and I noticed red spots on my feet. I went to a dermatologist and he said, “just to be safe, let’s do some labs” … Read more
CLL Set Me Free
A painting by Christina Fisher – Patient
I painted “CLL Set Me Free” because it’s always in our heads, it’s such a deeply personal and individual journey for all of us who typically appear normal on the outside but live with the thoughts daily … Read more
My Journey With CLL
By Joel Roisman – Patient
My journey with CLL started, like those of many with the disease, with a routine physical in the fall of 2002 when I was 58 years old. … Read more
Pilot Light
A poem by Nancy Salwin – Caregiver
It’s a sad feeling that creeps up in a day,
A lonely feeling that wants to stay.
I know I am part of a larger group
That needs an outstretched hand
To get back in the loop. … Read more
Ask & Tell
Results of Shared Decision Making Survey
During April 2019 through June 2019, the CLL Society conducted a Shared Decision Making poll among readers of The CLL Society Tribune. … See the results!
Our Next Survey: Before End of Life and Palliative Care
The topic for our Q3 CLL Society Tribune Ask & Tell Survey will focus on Before End of Life and Palliative Care … Read more!
Subscribe to The CLL Tribune
CLL Tribune is accepting all forms of storytelling, including articles, poems, drawings, or other creative mediums. Contribute today! Email support@cllsociety.org with your interest!
Did You Know?
The Basics
Red Cell Explanation
By Susan Leclair
The CBC or complete blood count is a collection of tests that, over time, has tried to answer what is going on in the bloodstream and what that means to the individual. Some of these tests might look as if they overlap but each has its unqiue meaning, advantage, and disadvantage … Read more
Beyond The Basics
Complex Karyotype in CLL
By Panagiotis Baliakas, MD, PhD
For chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients, there is no dearth of things to worry about, especially when it comes to adverse prognostic and predictive factors. … Read more
Conference Coverage
ASH 2018: Dr. Tait Shanafelt on the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group trial comparing FCR and Ibrutinib/Rituximab in Treatment Naïve CLL of younger patients.
By Brian Koffman, MD
This is huge. This is game changing. This was one of the six late-breaking abstracts from ASH (American Society of Hematology) 2018 Annual Meeting and Congress that were selected because they reflect the most important, latest research in hematology and change how we manage heme malignancies … Watch The Interview
Ask The Doctor
Questions submitted by readers and answered by our CLL Society experts
By Richard Furman, MD
Dr. Richard Furman of Weill-Cornell Medical College answers readers’ questions submitted to the CLL Society…Read more
Ask The Pharmacist
Questions submitted by readers and answered by our CLL Society experts
By Thomas E Henry III, MBA, RPh, CPh
Thomas E Henry III, MBA, RPh, CPh from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center answers readers’ pharmacy questions submitted to the CLL Society…Read more
Ask The Lab Scientist
Questions submitted by readers and answered by experts in the field
By Susan J. Leclair, PhD, CLS (NCA)
Susan J. Leclair from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth answers readers’ lab scientist questions submitted to the CLL Society…Read more
Ask the Hospice/Palliative Care Doctor
Questions submitted by readers and answered by experts in the field
By Ed Ratner, MD
Dr Ratner from xxx answers readers’ hospice/palliative care questions submitted to the CLL Society…Read more
We’d like to thank the supporters of The CLL Tribune:
- AbbVie
- Beigene
- Genentech/Biogen Idec
- Gilead
- Pharmacyclics/Janssen
- Sunesis Pharmaceuticals
- TG Therapeutics
- Verastem
DISCLAIMER
The CLL Society does not provide medical advice or endorsements. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, all content in the CLL Tribune is the opinion or information of its author, not the CLL Society. This newsletter is for reference and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. We do not guarantee the accuracy of any of the materials. Always contact your own doctor or other professional healthcare provider if you have any questions concerning your or your family’s health. Everyone’s circumstances are different.